Avatar: The New Legend
by DPhantom88
Summary: Thirteen years after the war ended Aang and his friends must now face old and new enemies that threaten an already shaky world while protecting their loved ones in the process.
1. The Invitation

**Avatar: The New Legend**

**Book 1: Seeds of War**

**Chapter 1: The Invitation **

Aang and Katara. The Southern Air Temple. 13 ASC (After Sozin's Comet)

Aang sat outside the Southern Air Temple on a ledge overlooking the mountain peaks that dotted the horizon as the summer sun set. It was an end to a beautiful, albeit lackluster day. For the last few months now he's been at the Southern Air Temple on vacation with his family and it was much needed. Being the Avatar in a normal era was time consuming enough, but in an era where a hundred year war had just ended; this left Aang little time to spend with his family. He had recently gotten back from Whale Tail Island to qualm a rebellion involving the Dai Li and the Southern Raiders.

As he rubbed his temples, his wife, Katara approached him from behind and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Dinner's ready," she stated in her velvet smooth voice.

Aang looked up at her and smiled crookedly. They had known each other for almost fourteen years and she still looked just as beautiful as she did when she pulled him out of the iceberg. Not all the same, though. Her hair was somewhat shorter but retained the hair "loopies" and was still worn down, the way he liked it. Not to mention her body had matured into a feminine curve that drove him crazy sometimes. He then stood up and looked down at her.

Katara looked up back at him. She might not have changed much, but he did. Aang now stood a good head taller than her, and not to mention he had grown a considerable amount of muscle that rippled under his skin. She always found herself in a daze when he stood over her like that. Definitely not the little goofy boy she pulled out of the iceberg all those years ago.

Aang leaned his head in close to kiss his wife's lips when he suddenly felt a splash of water hit the back of his head. He snapped around to see who interrupted him and Katara in one of their few tender moments. Standing about thirty feet away were a little girl and boy laughing hysterically. He rolled his eyes, but wasn't too surprised that his kids would do this. Katara chuckled along with her mischievous kids causing Aang to smile and shake his head.

"See? I told you I'd get him!" the little girl Kya shrieked with laughter as she leaned on her little brother for support.

"Aren't you a little old for pranks?" Aang crossed his arms in mock anger.

"I'm ten, Dad," she smiled, "that's not too old."

"You know she gets that from you," Katara smiled and nudged his shoulder.

"Well, Sokka's your brother, remember?" Aang reminded her, "I think it's just a bad combination."

"Yeah, whatever airhead," she rolled her eyes, "Let's eat dinner."

Kya and her little brother, Ahmo, rushed ahead back to the temple where their mother had food ready. Katara ran after them in a vain attempt to get them to calm down. Aang just smiled and shook his head. He had a crazy family, but wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. He stole one last glimpse of the sunset before turning around to join his family.

Zuko and Mai. Fire Nation capital, Agnia.

Zuko rubbed his right temple as he sat in the throne room of the palace. He hated these lengthy meetings, but it had to be done. It was the duty of the Fire Lord to attend the monthly meetings with the governors, but it didn't help matters much when half of them were serving under his father during the war and didn't like the fact that Zuko "betrayed" his country to join the Avatar. The other half were people that Zuko had been forced to appoint because their predecessors had fled the country.

"So what is the status on the islands east of Ember Island?" a newly appointed Governor Zhou asked, "Do Separatists still control those regions?"

Zuko groaned. He didn't like this guy, but was forced to put up with him. Zhou was the late Admiral Zhao's son and had control of Fire Fountain Island.

"Actually, Hot Spring Island has done a lot to quall the Separatists," Governor On Ji retorted.

"Doesn't change the fact that you have many of them in positions of power there, Governor," Zhou sneered.

Zuko liked On Ji. She was young, but an idealist like himself and knew what it took to help the Fire Nation.

"We have tried many of them in court and those that were found guilty of treason were either sent to the prison here or to the Boiling Rock," she explained.

"In your courts?"

"Some of them. The biggest traitors were tried over here."

"Fire Lord Zuko," Zhou turned towards the throne, "I don't know if we can trust certain governors who rule in confirmed Separatist regions."

"Hot Spring Island has yet to be confirmed," Zuko replied flatly.

"What about the five traitors in their Island Council?"

"They were tried, convicted, and sent to the Boiling Rock."

"It's still hostile territory."

"The only confirmed islands with Separatist movements are Crescent Island, Roku's Island, and Igneous Island. That's it," he glared at Zhou who appeared defeated, "And I applaud Governors like On Ji who make the extra effort to eliminate and prevent separatism in their respective islands. Now, unless there is nothing more to discuss, I would like to close this meeting and call it a night. I'm sure you're all ready as well."

The governors agreed as Zuko stood up to adjourn the meeting. Everyone gathered up paperwork and filed out of the throne room. Soon only On Ji and Zuko were left in there.

"Thanks for praising me back there," she bowed.

"I give credit where it's due," he bowed back, "You're one of the few governors I could trust and I'm hoping by setting you as an example that they too will attack Separatism."

"I hope so. It feels like you and I are the only ones fighting it."

"I got the military on my side with the help from Admiral Jee. The Sages are on our side as well. We're not as alone as you might think."

"Not to mention your friend the Avatar."

Zuko sighed as they both exited the throne room, "Yes and no. He's a busy man I can't be calling him up here to do my job. Not only will it show my incompetence, but will also eliminate the thin trust the Fire Nation already has for the Avatar. No, unless full out war breaks out, we will not call upon him."

"Fair enough. Well, I'm going to return to the inn. Good night, Fire Lord."

"Take care," he said as she bowed, "See you tomorrow for the economy meeting."

"Should be a blast," she rolled her eyes and walked away.

Zuko walked up to the royal chambers and into his bedroom. Upon entering, he threw off the heavy shoulder pads the Fire Lord wore and untied his hair to let it fall naturally. He set the crown on a chair next to the shoulder pads before fixing his hair in front of a mirror. The simple cut he had thirteen years ago had long disappeared and turned into a shoulder length mane. He had a goatee that covered his chin and two braids hung down it a couple inches. As he unbraided it, the door creaked open and Mai walked in.

"You keep working all day like this and your kids won't even recognize you anymore," she smirked as she joined him in front of the mirror.

"I hate just as much as the rest of you do," he turned towards her and gave her an apologetic kiss, "These Separatist issues are very touchy now a days. Not to mention people like Zhou aren't happy that I rejected the Economic Stimulus plan. And then-," he felt a finger cover his lips.

"Shhh. Remember the rule," Mai said as she removed her finger, "No politics when we're in the bedroom."

"I thought that rule only applied to when we were in bed," Zuko smirked which earned him a slap on the shoulder.

"Ha ha," she smiled and pulled him into another kiss, "Now go tuck your kids in."

"Ok, but you better be awake for me when I come back," he winked causing her to sigh.

Zuko walked over to his oldest son's room and walked inside. His thirteen year old son, Rozin, sat in front of a few candles meditating with absolute concentration. He smiled at how much his son resembled him when he was younger.

"I told you not to disturb me while I'm meditating," Rozin stated without breaking his concentration.

"Surely you can take a break and say high to your old man," Zuko replied.

Rozin's eyes shot open and he ran up to his dad, "Sorry, dad. I didn't see you there."

"It's ok," he smiled and pulled his son into a hug, "How's your meditation coming?"

"Good, but I still don't see what it's supposed to accomplish."

"It's supposed to help you clear your mind and allow you to concentrate on what your drive is, making you a better fire bender."

"Did you learn that from the dragons?" he asked eagerly.

Zuko smirked. His sons always loved his stories, especially the one about the dragons.

"No," he answered, "Actually this I learned from your great uncle."

"But he learned it from the dragons, right?"

"Maybe, I'll have to ask him when I see him," he ruffled his son's hair, "Now go to sleep."

"Alright," he put out the candles and crawled into bed, "Good night."

Zuko nodded and closed the door as he walked out and headed to his other son's room. He opened the door and leaned in.

"Zek, you awake?" he whispered.

"Yeah," a groggy voice replied from the bed.

Zuko walked in and pulled the covers over him, "Just saying good night, son."

"Good night, dad," the boy whispered and fell asleep.

Quietly, Zuko walked out and closed the door.

Back inside his room, Mai was sitting in front of the mirror in her night gown brushing her hair.

"The boys asleep?" she asked without looking up.

"Zek is. I found Rozin meditating and I sent him to bed."

"Kid's almost exactly like you."

"And Zek's starting to turn out like you," Zuko threw off his shirt and climbed into bed, "I heard he was throwing knives at some of the palace servants yesterday."

Mai chuckled and walked over to the bed, "Yeah, some of his classmates at the Royal Fire Academy have given him the nickname 'Bullseye'."

"Nice."

"So what's going on next week? Are we going to Ember Island?"

Zuko looked dumbfounded by the question, "Why?"

Mai glared at him, "Your birthday, idiot."

"Oh, I completely forgot."

"You're not working are you?" she raised her eyebrow.

"No, no. We can still go," he smiled nervously.

"Good, because it's your thirtieth birthday and I don't want you to ruin it."

"Don't worry. Just don't throw me a surprise party."

"Urgh, don't worry I won't," she groaned.

Zuko looked at her curiously, "You invited people, didn't you?"

"Zuko, why would I invite people? I don't even like parties."

"Ty Lee did, didn't she?"

"There's no party, Zu- Zu," she kissed him reassuringly, "Now go to sleep."

He looked at her suspiciously but decided to go to sleep anyway. Besides, Mai was like him in hating parties and people. She wouldn't do something like this. There is no party. There were no invitations.

Sokka and Suki. Kyoshi Island

"Hey look, it's an invitation to Zuko's birthday," Sokka said as he read the note he pulled off a messenger hawk.

Suki walked over and took the note from him, "It's at his beach house on Ember Island," she said as she read it over.

"Can we go? We haven't been there for years."

"Don't see why not. It'd be nice for us to get out off the island for once."

"Go where?" their thirteen year old daughter asked as she walked up.

"You're up early, Jian," Sokka noted.

"Where are we going?" she asked as she grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl.

"Zuko's beach house," Suki answered as she went back to making breakfast.

"Will his family be up there, too?"

"I would think so," Suki answered.

"Then I'm in. I've been wanting to go to the beach for a while now."

"You live on an island," Sokka replied.

"Yeah, with a two hundred foot serpent that lives in the water," she groaned, "I don't like things trying to eat me while I swim."

"What's this about Ember Island?" their other daughter, Shaola came in with her little brother Dao in hand.

"We're going to Zuko's birthday," Jian replied, "Gives you a chance to see Zek again, huh?"

"Shut up!" Shaola hissed.

"Ha, I knew you had a crush on him."

"I do not!" Shaola yelled.

"Wait minute," Sokka held his hands up, "You like a Fire Citizen?"

"Yes," Jian said.

"No!" Shaola said.

"Sokka stay out of it," Suki said as she put their breakfast in front of them.

"Yeah, listen to Mom," Shaola hastily agreed.

"No daughter of mine is going to hook up with a Fire Citizen," Sokka continued as his eyes traveled down to his plate, "I mean who do you think we fought for a hundred…is that turkey-pig bacon?"

"Mmm-hmm," Suki replied.

Sokka started shoveling food into his mouth and instantly forgot what he was saying.

"So we're going right?" Jian asked.

"Yes," Suki replied, "We're leaving tonight. That is unless your father fixed the mast on the boat."

Sokka looked up as the three women in his life stared at him, "I'll do it later."

"No, do it now," Suki smacked the back of his head, "you were supposed to do it last week."

"Why can't we borrow someone else's?"

"Yours is the fastest," Suki replied, "And the sooner we get there, the sooner we can relax."

"Urghh, fine," he got up and grabbed his son's arm, "Come on, Dao, want to help me fix the boat."

"Sokka he's three," Suki stated.

"It's never too early to learn these things," he turned to his son, "Come on, unless you want to stay in the house with the girls."

"Stay in here, Dao," Suki said, "You can have a piece of cream cake."

"Yay! Cwem cake!" the little boy jumped up and hugged Suki.

Sokka rolled his eyes and grabbed his tools, "Yeah, there you go. Bribe and baby the boy. I'll go fix the boat by _myself_."

Suki just chuckled to herself as he walked out to the moor. She loved teasing him since the moment they met. Only after they got married and had two girls did it get easier to annoy him.

Aang and Katara

Aang and Ahmo were loading up Appa with their bags after getting the invitation to Zuko's party.

"So dad, what's the Fire Nation like?" Ahmo asked.

"Hot. But thankfully we're going to the beach," Aang replied, "You'll like it there."

"Cool," he said as he tried to water bend some water in a nearby well. After a few unsuccessful tries he managed to control it in a little water sphere, "Look, Dad! I'm doing it!"

Aang turned and saw him fighting to keep it from splashing everywhere. The water was then stolen from him and ended up with Kya.

"Hey!" Ahmo yelled, "Give it back!"

"Take it from me," Kya teased.

Ahmo ran up to her to try and steal it back, but every time he got close she bended it in a different direction.

"Give it," Ahmo demanded.

"No."

"Dad!"

"Don't cry to him, do it yourself."

"Please."

She shook her head.

Finally the water was taken from Kya and given back to Ahmo. He laughed and Kya looked at her dad, but he shrugged and pointed to Katara who stood behind her.

"What did I tell you about teasing your brother?" Katara asked sternly.

"I was just teaching him some water bending," she replied angelically.

"Nice try," Katara stated as she saw through her daughter, "We didn't teach you to be a bully to your little brother."

"Sorry, Mom," Kya looked down shamefully.

"Just get on Appa, we have a long flight," Katara said as she threw the last bag to Aang, "Why didn't you stop them?"

"They were just playing," Aang said as he strapped the bag down, "It's not like she was hitting him with it."

"Next time just make sure she doesn't play with her brother like that."

"Well, it's not like she has much options," Aang said as he lifted Ahmo up on Appa, "Neither of them do. In case you haven't noticed, there's no one else here for them to play with."

"I know," Katara sighed, "That's one of the reasons why I agreed to go to Ember Island, give them a chance to play with other kids."

"Yeah, plus we get to surprise Zuko. You know how he hates surprises," Aang grinned.

Katara chuckled, "Yeah, Mr. Hotman's not going to be too happy when he found out what Mai and Ty Lee did behind his back."

"Let's get going," Aang climbed on top of Appa and grabbed the reigns, "Everyone got everything?"

"Yep," Katara said.

"Yeah," Kya replied.

"Wait," Ahmo said as he jumped off, "We forgot Momo!"

The little boy ran off and came back a few seconds later with the flying lemur following him.

"Ok, we're good."

"Good," Aang said as he climbed aboard, "Yip, yip."

With a growl Appa took off and flew west towards the Fire Nation.

The Agnia Prison

"Is everything going to plan?" the former Fire Nation princess asked her visitors disguised as guards.

"Yes, Princess," one of the visitors answered.

"And the others will be there?"

"Yes, but with the Avatar there, along with the heroes of Sozin's War, don't you think we could be damning ourselves?"

Azula glared at the man who dared question her motives, "No, this is just the push we need. One of you needs to go to the Separatists and tell them their leader is coming. Another will go to the Earth Kingdom and tell the terrorists there to meet with the rest of us on the Crescent Island."

Two of the four guards bowed and walked out.

She looked at the other two, "You must stay for tomorrow when the plan goes down," she pointed to one of the faux guards before moving to the insubordinate one, "And you…"

She shot a quick lighting bolt at him, killing him instantly.

"Get rid of the mess," she dusted off her hands, "And be ready."


	2. The Reunion

**Chapter 2: The Reunion **

**Zuko's beach house**

"About time we got here," Zuko complained as he and his family lugged up the steps to the beach house late in the evening, "Next time we're taking the balloon."

"You're such a whiner," Mai replied.

"At least we could get some quiet time up here without anyone bothering us," Zuko said as he opened the door.

"Surprise!" several dozen voices shouted at once causing Zuko to jump into a fire bending stance.

"What the hell!" he yelled.

"Ha ha! Zuko, that look on your face was priceless," Sokka walked up to him laughing.

"Sokka?" he looked around, "Aang? Katara? Toph? What are you guys doing here?"

"Well, Scarface," Toph said, "We all got invitations to come here, and we couldn't pass up an opportunity to surprise the hell out of you."

"Mai," he growled, "Thought you said there was no party."

"I lied," she shrugged, "besides, they're all friends. Let's just have a good time."

She kissed his cheek, putting a smile on his face, "All right."

Mai was dragged off by Ty Lee, leaving Zuko with the kids.

"Dad, I thought you hated surprises," Rozin asked.

"I do," he sighed.

"Cheer up, Zuko," Sokka slapped him on the shoulder and handed him a drink, "This will help."

Aang then joined with his two kids in tow.

"Fire Lord Hotman," he mock bowed, "Happy birthday."

"Ha ha," he replied sarcastically.

"You've met my kids, right?"

"Yeah, a long time ago."

"Hi, Fire Lord Zuko," Ahmo bowed.

"Hi, Hotman," Kya chuckled and bowed.

"Just Zuko," he motioned for his kids, "You remember Rozin and Zek, right?"

"The kids exchanged their hellos before Zuko motioned for them to move over to where Sokka's kids were.

"So, how's things here in the Fire Nation," Aang asked.

"Not the best," Zuko looked down, "It seems there's been more and more confirmed Separatist movements in the past few months. Not to mention corruption with the governors and sages."

"Hey, you need my help just ask."

"No, I can handle this."

"Zuko, maybe you should consider the Avatar's help," Iroh said as he walked up to the trio.

"Uncle, how'd you get here from Ba Sing Se?"

"Ty Lee and Haru told me when they came in the tea shop," he sipped some tea before continuing, "It might be wise to ask for the Avatar's help."

"He's right," Aang said, "This is the kind of thing the Avatar's supposed to do. You know, preventing wars and all."

"This isn't a war," Zuko said.

"It will be if you don't do something about it."

"We can handle it," Zuko sighed, "You already have a bad enough reputation here. Interfering with Fire Nation business would only make it worse."

"I won't wait until it blows into a full out war before I get involved. Remember what happened to Roku?"

Zuko sighed, "Yes."

"And I don't think you want to put yourself or your family through another war."

"Fine. Just lets not talk about it here. I want to try to relax."

"Good."

"Glad you finally learned how to reason," Iroh said as he patted Zuko on the shoulder.

'Well, count me out," Sokka said, "I'm retired."

"You're only a year younger than me," Zuko replied.

"Still, Suki will have my head if I go off to fight another war."

"Fair enough."

"So Aang's going to help you out?" Toph walked up and asked.

"I guess," Zuko answered, "We'll come up with a plan eventually, but not now."

"Cool, count me in too."

"Why? This is Fire Nation business."

"Yeah, and I'm the ambassador to the Fire Nation," she folded her arms across her chest, "I got to look after the Earth King's investments."

"Talk to King Haru first, then I'll let you join."

"Fine."

**Katara, Suki, Mai, Ty Lee**

"You know, it's a little out of character for you to throw Zuko a surprise party," Katara told Mai.

"Wasn't exactly my idea," she took a sip from her drink, "Ty Lee gave me the idea and I just went along with it."

"I'm surprised you did," Ty Lee chimed in, "From what I remember, you hate parties."

"I do, but Zuko's been under a lot of stress with the Separatist issue and it could do him good to surround himself with friends and family."

"Will you guys need help with the Separatists?" Katara asked.

"Doubt it," Mai replied, "He's under the assumption that this is strictly a Fire Nation problem and should be handled by the Fire Nation."

"Well, what do you think?"

Mai sighed, "I don't know. But I do know that if things do get worse, we'll need all the help we can get."

"How bad has it gotten?" Suki asked.

"Not bad enough to be in war, but bad enough to start a war if we're not careful."

"That bad huh?"

"Oh, yeah. Since the end of Sozin's War there's been corruption in certain parts of the government, mainly in the island sector. We've been slowly weeding them out, but now they're getting desperate and threatening to emancipate."

"What's the big deal," Katara asked, "If they want to leave, why not let them?"

"It's not that simple," Mai replied, "Those Separatists were in power during Ozai's reign and still want to spread Fire Nation superiority. And if we cave in, then that opens the doors for them to come in and remove Zuko from the throne."

"Man," Katara sighed as she swished her drink around, "Well, if you guys need any help, just let us know."

"I will."

**The Kids Corner**

While the adults of the party had much to talk about and were deep in their discussions, the kids simply moved over to a corner of the mansion and stood around silently.

Kya and Ahmo were seated at a table and took turns bending water in their glasses and playing catch with it.

Rozin was leaned up against the wall with his back turned to the waterbenders, playing around with some fire he conjured. Every now and then he would put out the fire and smooth down his jet black hair, unaware that Kya was quietly stealing glances from him.

Zek, who shared his mother's constant boredom, casually leaned back in a chair and flipped around one of the many daggers he carried with him.

Jian, Shaola, and Dao sat at a table between the Fire Princes and the waterbenders. Dao was just as restless as Jian was and tried to run off whenever Shaola took her eyes off him to stare at the ever oblivious Zek. Jian was a talker and was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the silence after each passing moment. Finally, after Dao made his second run to the snack table with Shaola chasing him, she had it with the silence and walked over to the dagger throwing Zek.

"Hey there, Zek. Long time no see."

The ten year old Zek took his concentration off his knife and looked up at her with his amber eyes.

"Um… it's only been, like, two years or something," he replied in a monotone voice.

"Really?" Jian wondered, "Where was this?"

"When my father dragged us over to Kyoshi Island to visit," he answered with his concentration returning to the dagger in his hand, "Remember, I bet your sister five seashells that I could hit an apple off the top of her head with my shuriken."

"Oh yeah now I remember."

Shaola was walking back to the table holding her brother tightly by the arm when she noticed Jian had left.

"Now the next time you get up," she scolded her brother, "I will personally tie you to the chair and feed you to the Unagi when we get home."

"No Oonagee," the little boy cowered.

"Then don't run off again," she then spied her sister talking to the bored Fire Nation boy and her eyes widened, "What is she doing?"

She rushed up behind her sister and grabbed her arm to spin her around to face her.

"What are you doing?" Shaola hissed.

"Nothing," Jian shrugged and turned back around to Zek, "You remember Zek, _right?_"

Shaola blushed and put a shy smile on her face, "Hi, Zek."

"Hey," he replied not even taking his eyes off the knife.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone to catch up," Jian turned back to their table, "Mmkay, bye."

Shaola glared at her meddling sister, "I hate you."

Jian only smiled from the table. How she loved messing with her younger sister.

Kya's and Ahmo's game of water-ball quickly started to pick up speed and ferocity. Each sibling was trying hard to make the other one drop the ball of water whenever they passed it. As Ahmo threw the ball back to Kya, she caught it and threw it a little harder and off center than she expected back to her brother. Ahmo's reflexes were too slow and the water ball flew right threw his fingers and right into the side of Rozin's head. Kya gasped and covered her mouth as Rozin's head got drenched in a split second.

"Urgh! Hey!" he yelled and looked around, eventually focusing his eyes on the non-chalet waterbenders to his left. Enraged he stormed over to Ahmo, "You blind or something?"

"What do you mean?" Ahmo asked nervously.

"Look at my head!" he pulled the little boy up to eye level, "I'm drenched because of you!"

"Hey!" Kya got up, "Leave him alone. It wasn't his fault."

"You did it?" he sneered.

"Yes, it was an accident," she rose up her arms to waterbend, "I can fix it."

Rozin dropped Ahmo and shoved her arms aside, "Don't! You'll probably freeze it and make me madder."

Kya snickered as her brother joined her side, "I doubt that."

Rozin's outburst got the attention of his brother who left his seat to join him, grateful to get away from the uncomfortable silence with Shaola.

"What's up?" Zek asked his brother.

"This little water peasant just threw a bunch of water at my head," Rozin pointed at Kya.

"'Water peasant'?" Kya put her hands on her hips, "I'm the Avatar's daughter. I think that's pretty far from the line of peasant."

"You sure have the manners of one."

"Oh, and having a short temper is considered royalty?"

"You need to be taught a lesson," he smirked, "Agni-Kai."

"Agni-Kai is only for firebenders, smart one."

Rozin shut his eyes in frustration, "Fine! A duel, sparring match, whatever you want to call it."

Kya smirked back, "When and where?"

"Down on the beach. Now," he turned to storm out the door.

"Ok, but just remember both of my parents kicked your dad's sorry butt many times during the war," she said as she followed him out, "Just remember where your genes come from."

The other five kids stood there and watched them storm out.

"Maybe we should follow them so they don't burn and drown each other," Jian suggested.

"Whatever," Zek replied.

"That might be a good idea," Shaola said, nudging Zek.

The other five then ran out to join the two angry benders.

**The beach**

"I assume you know how to duel, right?" Rozin asked from one side of the beach.

"Yeah, my parents taught me a long time ago," Kya replied from the other side.

Zek and Shaola stood on Rozin's side, while Jian, Dao, and Ahmo stood on Kya's.

"Shaola," Jian shouted, "Why are you on that side?"

She glanced at Zek, "I like the view better from over here."

Zek groaned and face-palmed himself.

"Well, your cousin's on this side," Jian yelled again, "Get over here!"

"Fine," Shaola muttered and sulked over there.

"Thank the gods," Zek whispered to himself, "I thought she'd never leave."

Rozin glanced back at his brother for a second before returning his gaze to Kya.

"You ready, Peasant?"

"If you are, Hot-head."

Rozin made the first attack by sending a couple fire balls her way. Kya reacted quickly and bended some water from the ocean to block the fire before sending a small wave to her opponent. He jumped out of the way with lightning fast agility and charged after her, kicking and throwing as much fire as he could. Kya blocked as much fire as she could, but before she knew it the angry firebender was right in front of her. Rozin produced some fire-daggers for close combat and swung wildly at Kya who twisted and dodged each attack. She finally managed to grab one of his arms in water and push him back. Surprised by her attack, Rozin tripped and fell backwards on the sand. Kya then rushed up to him and bound his arms and legs.

She smirked, "I think it's safe to say I won."

As Rozin was struggling, no one noticed a small grenade land several feet from them. That is, until it blew up. The explosion knocked Kya off her feet, freeing Rozin to get up. He looked around and saw several dark figures rushing down from the nearby hills.

"Personal body guards?" Kya asked as she pulled herself up.

"No."

Suddenly the kids found themselves surrounded by a dozen men with white painted faces and black outfits. Kya and Rozin got in their battle stances as Zek pulled out his shuriken and Jian pulled out her sword.

"Dang!" Shaola cursed, "Forgot my sai at home."

"Just stay behind us and protect Dao," Jian ordered and pushed her sister behind her.

"Kya?" Ahmo asked nervously.

"Just stay with your cousins and remember what Mom and Dad taught you, ok?"

Kya, Rozin, Jian, and Zek formed a tight circle around the younger ones as the mysterious attackers closed in around them.

"Oh, they're just kids," one of them stated in a gruff voice.

"And we can still beat you to a pulp if you don't get out of here now," Rozin commanded.

"Hey, you're the Fire Prince, right?" he asked.

"Yes, and this is the Fire Nation and you will obey my orders!"

"Actually, we don't recognize the royal family here anymore," the attacker said as he got into a fighting stance, "In fact, we don't even want you alive, either."

Rozin's face paled, but didn't stop him from throwing a fire ball at the white-faced attacker.

The man easily blocked Rozin's blast, "Please, you're going to have to do better than that."

The man took one step forward, but was cut off by an incredible blast of fire from behind the bushes. The kids and the attackers were shocked by this random blast of fire, butt were even more shocked when Iroh jumped out from behind the bushes and stood between the attacker and Rozin.

"You will leave now," the Dragon of the West commanded, "If you hurt one hair of any of these kids, you will suffer the wrath of not only the Fire Lord and the Avatar, but of me."

"Ah, General Iroh," he sneered, "You think we don't know whose kids these are?"

"This is your last chance," Iroh growled, "Leave now."

"I don't think so," the attacker stated before blasting fire at Iroh.

Iroh deflected it and blasted the attacker with double the force, sending him to the ground. The others decided to attack the kids as well, but Iroh was quick and shot as much fire as humanly possible. Rozin was in awe of his great-uncle for he'd never seen him firebend before. It was as if under his skin, his blood, muscle, and tissue were made of fire and he was just releasing it. Rozin quickly took notes and firebended at the attackers himself. Although only thirteen, he was still a far capable fighter than some adults, and he quickly joined his great-uncle in fending of their attackers.

Kya took note and waterbended as much as she can at the white-faced men. Much like Rozin and his firebending, she had been capable enough to fight people twice her age. Though, she never fought firebenders before.

Zek and Jian fought side by side with Jian fending off nearby attackers and Zek pinning the long range ones with his shuriken.

Then, as if a silent order was given, the attackers fled and disappeared into the night. Rozin ran after to pursue, but Iroh held him back.

"Do not follow them, Prince Rozin," Iroh said and released his grip.

"These are enemies of the Fire Nation," Rozin exclaimed, "We should go after them!"

"They fled for a reason. For all we know they could be leading us into a trap, and I refuse to put my grand-nephew, or his friends, into danger," the wise old man explained before looking down, "Besides, they didn't leave us completely empty handed."

Rozin looked at what Iroh was looking at and saw the unconscious body of the first attacker. He then heard footsteps rushing down the trail and saw his father along with Aang, Sokka, and Katara.

"What happened here?" Zuko asked his uncle.

"You guys alright?" Katara pulled her two kids into a crushing hug.

Sokka did the same, and then released them, "You kids are in so much trouble."

"Why?" Jian asked, "For defending ourselves?"

"No, for sneaking off."

"You guys could've been killed," Katara scolded at all five of the kids.

"We didn't know we'd be attacked," Kya shrugged.

"Besides, it was hers and Rozins fault anyway," Shaola explained.

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked.

"They were the ones that wanted to have a duel, or whatever, so they came out here. We only followed them so they wouldn't hurt each other."

"Is this true, Rozin?" Zuko turned to his son.

Rozin looked down shamefully, "Yes, Father."

"Why would you sneak off in the first place?" Zuko blew up at his son, "You know there's Separatists out there who'd love to take out anyone of the royal family."

"I thought you said Ember Island was safe!" Rozin shouted back.

Zuko looked around him, "Apparently not."

Silence then overcame the group before Iroh decided to speak up, "I will take the kids inside. There's an unconscious man lying down over there, he may have some answers for us when he wakes up."

Iroh began gathering the kids and sending them back up the trail.

"Thank you, Uncle," Zuko said quietly.

"Don't mention it," he began to walk up the trail.

"No, thank you for saving them," Zuko stated back, "I don't know what I would've done if you weren't here."

"We all owe our thanks to you," Aang added.

"It's what I do as a great-uncle," Iroh smiled, "Sometimes I'm here to tell entertaining stories of old or play music. And sometimes I'm here to kick ass."

This earned a chuckle from everyone, but Zuko who walked over to the unconscious man lying down. Iroh then followed the kids up as Aang, Sokka, and Katara joined Zuko by the man.

"So what are we going to do?" Sokka asked.

"You know how I said that I didn't need any of your help?" Zuko asked.

"Yeah," Aang answered.

"Well, I do know," Zuko looked down, "They just involved my family and they're going to pay for it."

"They got out families, too," Katara sighed, "We'll help you as much as we can."

"It'll be just like old time," Sokka exclaimed.

"Except this time, I think we have more at stake," Zuko noted before motioning for Sokka to help him with the body.


	3. Interrogations

**Chapter 3: Interrogations **

**Zuko's beach house**

The man with a white face sat, strapped down in a chair, unconscious. Then his face twitched and his eyes blinked open. His vision was blurred, but cleared up in time to see a very irate-looking Zuko staring down at him. The man flinched and Zuko smiled evilly.

"Welcome back," Zuko smiled and punched him in the face, knocking him down.

Zuko picked him back up and held his fist a few inches from his face. Smoke and steam were emitting from his hand demonstrating how much he was holding back.

"Why are you here?" Zuko growled, "Why did you try to kill my family?"

The white-faced man simply looked up at him and twisted his scarlet lips into a smile and laughed.

Taken slightly aback by this, Zuko picked up the man and his chair and threw him into the wall of the basement they were in. He walked over and grabbed his collar and stared straight in his face.

"Answer me!" Zuko roared.

The man shook his head in response.

Zuko threw him down on the ground before shooting a fireball only mere inches from the man's face.

"The next one will hit," Zuko yelled, "Count on it!"

"What's going on here?" Aang asked, walking down the stairs.

Zuko turned around, "Trying to get some information out of this scum."

"So your plan is to beat him to a pulp and burn him alive, then get an answer you desire?"

"More or less. We need to know who sent him."

"You won't get it out of him by beating him up," Aang crossed his arms.

"Ok, maybe I should serve him a cup of tea and a hot meal, then he'll answer my question," Zuko yelled, "Throw in a free place to stay for the rest of the night and he might actually give us the names of all the Separatists."

"Zuko calm down."

"Calm down? My children were just attacked by these freaks, and you want me to calm down?"

Aang sighed, "Mine were too."

"Then you should be wanting answers as much as I do."

The man suddenly broke his silence and began cackling. This got the attention of a very quizzical Zuko and Aang who exchanged puzzled looks. The cackling soon broke into uncontrollable laughter as the man began twitching and struggling within the confines of his chair. Soon, with the laughter, a white foam started coming from his mouth and the laughter started becoming gargled. The gargling turned into choking and coughing until the white-faced man died. Both Aang and Zuko stared at each other silently for a few seconds in order comprehend what just happened.

"What the hell was that?" Zuko asked.

"I have no idea," Aang scratched his head.

Zuko walked over to the body and knelt down for closer inspection, "Hmm… looks like he's been poisoned. Maybe swallowed a poisonous herb prior to being captured."

"So he couldn't reveal any secrets," Aang finished, "That's some serious stuff."

Zuko stood back up, "I'll call the guards down to get rid of the body. There's nothing more we can learn from him."

"So what now?"

"We're going back to the palace in Agnia," Zuko started towards the stairs, "If you still want to help, then you'll come too."

"Right," Aang caught up next to Zuko, "But where are we going to start looking for them?"

"We know that they are confirmed on Crescent Island, Roku's Island, Igneous Island, and I guess now Ember Island," Zuko named off the hostile territories, "We could start there."

"Sounds good."

"Or we can talk to the usual suspects," Zuko suggested.

"Who? Azula?"

"Her and maybe Ozai."

"Azula, maybe. I could see her staging a revolution," Aang stated, "But Ozai, no. He lost his firebending, remember. Whatever respect the Fire Nation had for him died with his firebending thirteen years ago. I seriously doubt he's behind this."

"So Azula, then?" Zuko turned to Aang before opening the basement door.

"That would be a good place to start," Aang looked back at him, "As long as you don't act like you did back there."

"I can't promise anything."

"Just try to be the bigger person," Aang suggested, "What about our kids? I don't want them left somewhere they could be attacked."

"The palace is the safest place in the Fire Nation," Zuko replied confidently, "The Imperial Guards have an unquestioning loyalty to the throne."

"I don't see why they can't just go to the Southern Air Temple." Aang wondered, "I mean it's not like anyone can get up there without a flying bison."

"Have you forgotten that the Fire Nation and some of the Earth Kingdom now have balloons and air ships?"

"Oh, right."

"That's why I'm saying the best place at the moment, that's still close to us, is the palace. Plenty of security."

"Sounds good," Aang yawned, "Well, I'm going to get some sleep. Good night."

Zuko nodded in response, "I'll send a messenger hawk to the nearest base. Get ourselves an airship to get out of here."

Aang nodded and walked up to his room and Zuko followed suit and went up to his chambers.

**Aang's and Katara's room**

"So Zuko's plan is to hide the kids away at the palace while we go search for these Separatists?" Katara asked Aang after he walked into their room.

"Actually, I was kind of hoping that you would stay there with them while me, Zuko, and Sokka go find these guys," Aang suggested, scratching the back of his neck.

"Why? Mai already said that she and Iroh will be able to look after them while we're gone."

"After what happened tonight I just want one of us to be there in case something did happen."

"But you saw how Iroh took care of those guys," Katara said, getting a little vexed, "I can protect our kids by helping the rest of you guys out. You know how good a fighter I am."

"I know, Katara," Aang desperately said, "But we don't even know what we're up against and I would feel much better if one of us stayed with the kids. You are a powerful bender and that's why I need you there. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to them and one of us weren't there."

Katara was silent for a second, "Fine. I'll do it for the kids."

Aang pecked her on the lips, "Thank you."

"But if you get yourself into too much trouble, I'm coming after you," she snidely remarked.

Aang chuckled and put his hands up, "Wouldn't have it any other way."

**Rozin's room**

Zuko opened and knocked on the door of his eldest son's room, "Hey, Rozin. You awake?"

Rozin was in his usual meditation position in front of some candles. When Zuko didn't hear a reply he walked in.

"I'm meditating," Rozin said without breaking concentration.

"Look, I wanted to apologize for yelling at you earlier," Zuko put his hand on his son's shoulder, "I know it wasn't your fault for what happened today."

"But it was," Rozin shut his eyes and took a deep breath, "If I hadn't of been such a hot head, I wouldn't have been so eager to fight Kya and lead everyone into danger."

"Why'd you want to fight her anyway?" Zuko took a seat next to his son.

"I don't know," Rozin opened his eyes, "It started because she hit me in the side of my head with water and that pissed me off."

"Language," Zuko warned.

"I guess I just wanted to size her up," Rozin turned to his dad, "I've never really met a waterbender before, let alone fought one."

Zuko chuckled slightly, "Trust me, they can be more temperamental than firebenders sometimes. Especially the girls."

"And she would've beaten me if those attackers didn't come," Rozin scrunched his face and attempted to resume his meditation.

"You can't win them all," Zuko said reassuringly, "Believe me, I've lost many fights in my day. Some to people who were younger than me."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and you know what it caused me to do?"

"What."

"It became a learning experience for me. I had to learn about things from a different perspective, and that made me a stronger person."

"Oh, ok."

"Good," Zuko patted him on the back and stood up, "And I'm going to need your help…"

Rozin stood up immediately, "If you want me to help you fight these Separatists, then I'll do whatever you want!"

"Uhh… no. I need you at home to look after the other ones," Zuko stated.

"Oh," Rozin sat back down, disappointed.

"You're the oldest and I need you to set an example for the younger ones. Your mom and Great-Uncle Iroh will be there and I'll need you to help them as much as you can."

"Ok, Dad, you got it."

Zuko turned to walk back out, "Now get some sleep, we're leaving tomorrow."

Rozin blew out the candles and climbed into bed, "Good night, Dad."

"Night, son."

**The Fire Nation Palace**

"Woah! This place is huge!" Kya exclaimed as she walked in with her family close behind.

"How come we don't live in a place this big?" Jian asked her dad who was struggling with all their bags.

"Urgh, because we weren't born pampered and royal, like Zuko here," Sokka said as he dropped their bags.

Zuko walked in and shot a glare at Sokka, then motioned for the palace servants to come over, "Take their bags up to their rooms. There should be enough for each person to have their own. And these people are honored guests of the Fire Nation and will be treated no differently than the royal family."

"Yes, my lord," the servants bowed and grabbed their bags to take upstairs.

"It's been awhile since I've stayed here," Iroh noted, "Is my room still here?"

"Of course, Uncle," Zuko replied.

"Very good," he grabbed his bag and headed up there, "I need some sleep. Tell the servants to bring up my favorite tea when you see them."

"Sure," Zuko rolled his eyes. No matter how old his uncle got, he never loses his fondness for a good cup of tea.

Sokka and Suki pulled their kids into a hug.

"Now, listen to Aunt Katara, Iroh, and Mai while you're here," Suki said as she hugged Shaola.

"And don't break anything," Sokka added as he looked at all the priceless treasures, "Spirits know we can't afford to replace anything here."

"Bye, Mom and Dad," Shaola hugged them both, "I love you."

"Love you, too," Suki said back, "We won't be gone for too long."

Jian was taking in her surroundings, "Stay out as long as you like. Giant palace to live in, servants at your whim. I could get used to this place."

"Come here," Sokka pulled her into a hug.

"Too much love, Dad," she struggled and broke out of it.

Sokka knelt down to Dao, who was looking overwhelmed by the new place, "Bye, son. Look after your sisters while I'm gone," he pulled him into a big hug.

"Bye, Daddy."

Aang hugged both his kids at once, "Be good for your mom and everyone else. Kya, I'm counting on you to look out for your brother."

"Especially after I kicked Rozin's but last night?" she smirked.

"Especially after you did that," Aang grinned.

Katara slapped the back of his head, "No, you will not. Do not fight him while we're in their house."

Kya huffed, "Fine."

Aang then pulled Katara close and pulled her into a kiss, "I'll be back soon, I promise."

"I just wish I could go, too," she bitterly replied, "I mean Suki's going."

"Yeah, I just needed to get away from the kids for a while," Suki chimed in.

"This isn't a vacation, we're here to work," Aang said to Suki.

"Smashing heads is vacation for us," Sokka added before leading Suki out the door.

Aang shook his head and looked back at Katara, "If we need anything, you'll know, ok?" he kissed her again before he let go, "I love you."

"Love you, too," she said quietly.

"I want you to behave in front of our guests," Zuko told his kids, "No teasing, no arguing, and no fighting."

Rozin and Zek nodded.

"Why don't you gag them and lock them up in their rooms, then?" Mai suggested and pulled her husband into a kiss.

"I'll leave that for you," Zuko mumbled and pulled he into a kiss of his own, "I love you, Mai."

"I know you do," she smirked.

Zuko parted and looked over to Aang, "Ready?"

"Yeah sure," he said and waved his final good bye to his family before walking out the door, "So where's our first stop?"

"The Agnia prison tower," Zuko flatly replied, "We have a little visit arranged."

"Rozin, Zek," Mai said to her sons as Zuko and the others left, "Why don't you go show our guests to their rooms?"

"Yes, mom," Rozin said and sulked over to the other kids, motioning them to follow.

Katara then found herself left with Mai as the kids were taken to their rooms. She was always uncomfortable around Mai, even though they crossed their differences, there was still something weird between them.

"So…" she began an attempt to make conversation, "Zuko just decided to dump you here with a bunch of kids too, huh?"

"Not really," the gloomy Fire Lady replied and walked to the foyer, "its custom for when the Fire Lord has to leave somewhere that the Fire Lady stays to keep an eye on the throne."

"Huh, that makes sense, I guess," Katara said and followed, "How come Zuko didn't hug his kids or anything?"

"For one thing, Fire Nation kids usually aren't that close to their parents, especially royalty. Both of our parents, except Zuko's mother, really distanced themselves from us. We're actually treating them a lot better then we were when we were younger. Plus, they're boys and at this age they know how to stand on their own two feet."

"That makes sense," Katara said.

"Why don't you go get unpacked," Mai suggested, "They'll be serving lunch soon."

**Agnia Prison Interrogation Room**

"Is everything prepared?" Zuko asked the warden.

"Yes, my lord."

"Good," Zuko turned to the others, "I'll talk to her alone. I have a feeling she won't want to see you guys."

"Hey no problem," Sokka held up his arms, "The less I see of her, the better."

Zuko started to walk into the room but felt Aang grab his shoulder.

"Remember what I told you last night," Aang reminded him.

Zuko removed his hand, "Don't worry."

The warden opened the door for the Fire Lord and let him in before closing it behind him. Inside the dimly lit room there was a table and two chairs. In one of the chairs was the former princess of the Fire Nation, Azula. Her time in prison has clearly taken a toll on her, with her hair messy and wild, and her skin dirty and grungy. Her face was paler than usual when she looked up and smiled at Zuko with her blood-red lips.

"Well, well. Fire Lord Zu-Zu has come to grace me with his presence," she smiled as he took a seat opposite of her, "To what do I owe this surprise?"

"You know why I'm here," Zuko stated flatly.

"Actually, I don't."

"I know you had a hand in what happened to my family."

"Oh, how are the two princes, Rozin and Zek?" she asked, "You never bring them by to see their dear Auntie Azula."

"Hopefully they never will."

"If you want a guarantee for that then why don't you just kill me now?" she asked in her usual teasing tone.

"I won't kill you," he closed his eyes momentarily, "I want you alive."

"Aww come on," she teased, "Show me your true potential as Fire Lord. You have the ability to have someone killed with only one command, why don't you do it? I've done nothing but burden you your whole life, so why won't you kill me?"

"Because then I'll be like you and everyone else in my family."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! You already have the potential for that, Zu-Zu."

"Just tell me where the Separatist base is and I'll leave you alone," Zuko said, getting back on subject.

"Aw, I don't get much people to talk in here," she mock pouted, "Please stay."

"Just tell me!" Zuko raised his voice.

"Say please and I might tell you," she smiled.

"No, I'm the Fire Lord and I order you to tell me!" he yelled and stood up.

"Ooh, now there's the Zuko I know," she continued smiling.

Zuko shot a fireball at the table in front of her, "Where are they?!"

Azula simply stared at the burnt part of the table, "Your firebending's improved, I see."

He pulled her up by the collar, knowing she couldn't firebend with her arms cuffed, "Answer me or I'll burn your face off!"

"Do it," she grinned.

"Aargghh!" he yelled and threw her to the back of the room.

"Is that anyway to treat a sister?"

Zuko knelt down and conjured some fire in the palm of his hand, "Last chance."

He held the fire up to her face and Azula narrowed her eyes at it. Finally she cracked.

"Fine," she stopped smiling, "Their fortress is on Igneous Island. Ask the locals, they'll know."

"You better not be lying to me," he threatened.

"Would I lye to you?"

"Yes."

"I'm not," she sighed, "I may be in prison, but I am no traitor. In fact if anyone's the traitor it's you, Zu-Zu."

Zuko simply ignored that and walked back to the door and knocked.

"I'd be careful if I were you," she struggled to sit up, "Know your enemies."

The door opened and Zuko turned and walked out with the warden closing it behind him.

"Well?" Sokka asked.

"Igneous Island," Zuko answered and turned to the warden, "In case she was lying, don't let her out of there until you get word from me."

"Yes, my lord," the warden bowed and Zuko and the group walked out.


	4. The Moon Spirit

**Chapter 4: The **_**Moon Spirit**_

**Zuko, Aang, Sokka, Suki. Sokka's Ship**

"I still don't see why we couldn't have taken the air ship," Zuko wondered aloud.

"Or Appa, for that matter," Aang added.

They were both standing at the bow of Sokka's small interceptor, the_ Moon Spirit, _while en route to Igneous Island.

"Yeah," Sokka replied from the stern behind them, "because flying in on a logic-defying bison or a gigantic balloon just screams subtlety. Besides, my baby is fast and quiet, perfect for sneak attacks."

"We could've used some back up, though," Zuko turned around, "I mean, we're just going to go in there, just the four of us, and take on an entire fortress of Separatists?"

"We've handled worse before," said Suki as she joined Sokka at the rudder, "During the Comet, me, Sokka, and Toph took on a whole fleet of air ships by our selves and we made it."

"Yeah, these Separatists can't be half as bad as twenty airships and a super-charged version of your father," Sokka shrugged.

"This is a little different," Zuko replied.

"Yeah, I realize that, but I got a plan," Sokka stood up from the steering the boat.

"Oh joy," Zuko rolled his eyes, "I hope it's better than your brilliant escape plan from the Boiling Rock."

"Hey, we got out, didn't we?"

"Whatever. What's your plan?"

"Ok, see the way I figure it, these Separatists are no different than any other organization, be it military, government, or whatever," Sokka suggested earning a nod from Zuko, "Which means that there's going to be dozens if not hundreds of the little foot soldiers and cronies."

"Uh-huh," Aang nodded.

"Those guys are expendable and can be replaced if we decide to use a full out attack, doesn't help us much and it puts our lives at risk. But the big guys actually running the show are probably few in numbers. Maybe ten or twenty, at best. Much smaller number to deal with, plus by taking them out we will land a much bigger hit and hopefully stop them quicker."

"So cut the head off the snake?" Aang asked.

"Exactly."

"But we don't even know who's in charge of the Separatists anyway," Zuko stated.

"That's where my next plan comes in," Sokka nodded, "Suki and I will sneak in, incognito, and try and locate whoever's in charge. Aang, since you're the most powerful of us all, we'll need you to disable the guards and what not."

"Can do," Aang nodded.

"What do you want me to do?" Zuko asked.

"We'll need to get you on the inside somehow, but with your face being that recognizable, I don't know how to get you inside. Unless there are some secret tunnels or something."

"Doubt it," Zuko shook his head, "I think I know what base we're going to. It's an old war bunker that was abandoned during my grand father's reign. It's mostly underground. Infiltration's the best we got."

"Unless you don some broadswords and a blue mask," Aang snickered.

"The mask was thrown away years ago," Zuko answered seriously.

Sokka scratched his head trying to conjure up a plan. He snapped his fingers signaling that he got one, "I got it! How about we just deliver them Zuko?"

"What?!" Zuko shouted.

"Yeah, these Separatists obviously don't like you."

"Which is why I don't want to be served to them on a silver platter."

"No, no, no, no," Sokka shook his head and held up his hands, "Me and Suki arrive, disguised as bounty hunters, with you in chains. We turn you in and they will probably take you directly to the guys in charge. Meanwhile, Aang busts in with the glowy – thing, and takes out the guards giving the three of us to round up the leaders."

"So I'm just going to be stuck in chains the whole time?"

"We'll unlock you, but make it look like you're still chained up."

Zuko put his hand on his forehead, "This has bad idea written all over it."

"We'll do you have anything better?" Sokka asked.

Zuko thought about it and then shook his head.

"Thought so," Sokka smirked. He loved it when he was smarter than Zuko, "Besides, we'll have each other's backs."

"I hope so," Zuko said, "Because if I don't make it, then you're going to have to explain to my wife who came up with this moronic plan."

Sokka gulped at the thought of giving Mai bad news about her husband's well being, but none the less kept his head strong, "I'm sure this will work. They'll never see it coming."

"The best attack is when the enemy's not expecting it," Aang stated.

"Yeah," Sokka replied to Aang, "thanks for pretty much repeating what I just said."

**The Palace**

"How can anyone find their way around this place?" Kya mumbled to herself as she passed a picture for, what she thought, was the third time.

It was well past midnight on her first night in the Fire Nation Royal Palace, and she was already getting lost. If it was lost during the day she would've asked the servants or the family where the pantry was, but the servants were all off and she didn't feel like waking up or putting up with the family. Well, Mai and Zek were alright, but she didn't like Rozin since the other night at the beach house. She hated him even more because even though she wanted bury him under a million gallons of water, she couldn't take her eyes off him when they were in the same room. She violently shook her head to take her mind off him. She couldn't have a crush on this angry, hot-headed, pampered, prince.

She looked around at whatever corridor she was now in, trying to take her mind off him. There seemed to be no place in sight to find a crumb of food. As she kept walking around, she suddenly picked up the sound of another pair of foot steps. She stopped and strained her ears to hear where they were coming from, but the echoing walls made it difficult to pinpoint a direction. As quickly as the footsteps appeared, they stopped. Confused, Kya stood quietly for a few seconds and listened for more to come along but to no avail. Then, after shaking her head, she continued her search.

Not even a minute after they disappeared, the footsteps reappeared. This time she was in a more enclosed hall and the echoing was virtually non-existent. The footsteps were coming from behind, and they were approaching rather quickly. With being the ever-curious child, she about faced and charged toward the steps. The closer she got, the more nervous she got. After the attack on the beach she knew she had to be more aware of her surroundings and be more cautious. She could now not only hear the footsteps being made within mere feet of her, but could also hear her follower's breathing. They then stopped again. She put her arms up in a fighting stance. Even without any water nearby she still could fight and had the advantage of the darkness. Her five senses strained to give her a clue as to who she was dealing with. It wasn't until she felt someone press up against her back did she loose it completely.

"Aaaaahhhhh!!" both she and her follower screamed.

An orange glow then filled the hallway caused by her follower firebending. The much needed light gave her a chance to identify her follower.

"Rozin?" she asked confused, then yelled, "Rozin! Why were you following me?!"

Rozin himself was trying to control his breathing, "I heard you walking past my room, like, five times. I thought you were an assassin."

She put her hands on her hips, "Yeah, right. You just wanted to scare the crap out of me."

"No, I didn't," he held up his hands innocently.

"Whatever," she muttered and rolled her eyes, but Rozin didn't notice in the dark.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" Rozin asked.

"Looking for something eat," she replied and looked around, "I swear this place is a maze at night."

Rozin then did something she didn't expect; he kind of laughed, "Yeah, it took me almost my whole life to navigate this place in the dark."

"So…do you know where the pantry or the kitchen is?"

"Yeah, follow me," he held his light forward and motioned for her to follow, "You're actually not too far from it. It's a couple floors down from the rooms."

"And where are we now?"

Rozin looked around for a few seconds and smirked, "Right in front of your room."

"Urgh! I knew I was walking in circles," she rolled her eyes at her own incompetence and followed Rozin down the hall.

**Igneous Island Beach**

The _Moon Spirit _landed on a sandy beach at the base of some dark cliffs.

"How'd you know about this place?" Suki asked as they pulled the boat up on the sand.

"Me, Aang, my sister, and Toph came here when we infiltrated the Fire Nation before the invasion," Sokka said as he tied a rope connected to the boat to a nearby palm tree.

"We've been here before?" Aang asked looking around.

"Yeah, this is where Katara played spirit and wrecked that factory, remember?"

"You guys did that?" Zuko asked.

"Yeah," Sokka said as he finished his knot, "There's a cave that leads into the river not too far away from here. We lead Appa through there to avoid detection."

"This bunker should be located in the cliffs right above us," Zuko noted looking up, "The three of us should go through the caves and around to the front to avoid suspicion."

"Good idea," Sokka said and walked with Zuko and Suki followed closely behind him.

"Wait a minute," Sokka said and pulled some rope out of his bag, "We should tie you up before we get going, Zuko."

"Fine."

Sokka tied him up in one of his special trick knots, "There you go. I tied it so it would come undone with a good enough jerk."

"Sounds good, but I hate being tied up," Zuko said while looking at the rope.

"Hm… I thought you would be used to it. Being married to Mai and all," Sokka joked.

Zuko glared at him and kicked a small flame at him, causing the Water Tribe warrior to stumble and trip.

Suki and Aang both snickered as Sokka got up and dusted himself off.

"Not funny," he brushed the last bit of sand off.

"Play with fire and you'll get burned," Zuko smugly said.

"Fine, we're even," he headed towards the cave, "Lets go."

"And what do I do?" Aang asked.

"Just sit tight for an hour, then fly up there and look for me standing outside," Sokka said as he took off through the cave followed by the others.

"I could do that," Aang said and hopped back onto the boat.

**The Palace Corridors **

"Told you I'd find it," Rozin told Kya as they walked through the corridors. Kya held a bag of fire flakes that they shared as they walked back to their rooms, while Rozin kept a small flame going to light their way.

"I didn't doubt you," Kya said as she took a small handful of fire flakes from the bag, "I can't believe how hot these things are."

"That's why they're called fire flakes."

"I never had them before," she put some in her mouth and swallowed, "They're good though. Different than the stuff Mom cooks for us back home."

"I wouldn't mind trying some Water Tribe food sometime," Rozin said as he took a handful of his own.

"She cooks a mix of Water Tribe and Air Nomad food. My dad doesn't eat meat, so we have to alter it a bit."

"He doesn't eat meat?" Rozin asked surprised, "That's just weird."

Kya chuckled a little. This was a different Rozin than she first met. Much calmer and friendlier. More like a normal kid than a Fire Prince. This was the Rozin she liked.

"You get used to it," Kya said, "Mom said he wanted to raise us a vegetarians, but she didn't totally want to give up her Water Tribe food."

"Understandable."

Something caught her eye on the wall to her left past Rozin and she stopped to investigate it. It was a giant piece of papyrus with a dimly lit picture on it.

"What is this?" she wondered aloud.

Rozin stopped and turned around to see what she was looking at. He lit his fire up a little more to get a full scale of what she saw. It was a giant portrait of his great-great grandfather, Sozin.

"Who is he?"

"It's my great-great grandfather, Sozin," he answered solemnly, "The second Fire Lord in our dynasty. The Fire Lord who started the war and destroyed the Air Nomads."

"That's him?" she looked up in awe, "That's the guy who killed my father's people."

Rozin lowered his head down, "Yes, among other things."

"What else did he do?"

"Too many to list," he looked back up, "So many terrible things he did because he thought they were for the right reasons. I was named after him."

"You were?" she looked at him, "Why?"

"While he was a warmonger after the Comet came, he did many great things for our nation before," Rozin said in awe, "He single handedly brought our nation to prosperity before he started the war. Many consider him to be the greatest Fire Lord to have ever lived."

"You have to be crazy!" she hissed trying not to wake the whole palace.

"What?" he looked at her.

"How could you say that when you know what he did to my father's people. My people," she pointed at him accusingly, "This man was a horrible person."

"You think I don't know that?" he asked trying to restrain himself from yelling, "This man is a part of my family. You think I like having the world's worst warmonger in my family tree. My father, brother and I will have to live him and the next two generations down for our whole lives."

"Well not only did this man kill off an entire people, who I share half an ethnicity with, and nearly obliterated the people of the other half," she exclaimed tearing up a little, "And you say he's the greatest Fire Lord. Shows how much the Fire Nation's really changed."

"Shut up!" he yelled, "We have changed! There are people like my father who are trying to correct past mistakes. You're judging me based on what my forefathers did."

"Whatever," she said and walked back to the rooms, "I see now why people hate the Fire Nation so much. You people have no idea what you did to the world."

She threw down the fire flakes and stormed off, leaving Rozin to stand there alone with the portrait of his great-great grandfather. He took one last look at him and walked away in silence.

**The Igneous Island Bunker**

Sokka, Zuko, and Suki walked up to the door of the bunker.

"Did you really have to wear that raggedy old beard?" Suki asked Sokka who was scratching his fake beard.

"Yes," he smoothed it out, "It keeps my face disguised. I did say incognito, remember?"

"I assumed you meant using fake names or something," she shook hear head, "I can't believe you still have that old thing."

"Believe it."

"Just shut up and knock on the door," Zuko asked getting impatient with the bickering couple.

Sokka raised his fist and knocked on the giant metal door. The three waited a few minutes before knocking again. Again, nothing happened.

"What gives?" Zuko asked.

"Maybe we didn't knock hard enough," Sokka said and pounded his fists on the door, "Helloooooo!!"

"No one's in there," Zuko said.

"This is weird," Sokka rubbed his beard, "Someone should have heard that."

"Maybe we should go back?" Suki offered.

Zuko snapped the ropes off, "No, stand back. I'm blasting this door down."

He took a deep breath and threw his fist forward, exhaling as the fire blasted from his fist. The metal door was blasted open like it was made of tissue paper.

"Odd, that door was pretty weak," Sokka scratched his beard.

"Would you stop scratching that thing!" Suki yelled and pulled his beard off.

Zuko stepped inside and looked around, "There's no one here."

Suddenly a faint explosion was heard coming from the beach. The three looked at each other.

"Come on!" Sokka yelled and ran down to the beach with the others following closely.

On the beach, Aang was sitting in the boat blowing sea flies out of his face every couple minutes.

"Spirits, this is boring," he said to himself as he blew the fifth fly out of his face.

A bright, orange glow appeared out of the corner of his eye and quickly grabbed his attention. He looked to his left where the glow came from and immediately jumped into action. Someone shot a fire ball directly at him and, he quickly airbended it into the side of the cliff. Looking back in the direction of the attack, he saw a dozen black figures running down the cliff. Aang rushed forward, jumped, and landed twenty feet away from the attackers, and then used his earthbending to crumble the cliff burying the attackers.

Aang raised his eyebrow curiously, "That was way too easy."

As if the spirits were meant to defy him, the rubble of the cliffs were blasted away with the attackers standing where the rubble once was.

"What the…" he wondered but had little time with some of them shooting fire at him.

He jumped and dodged the firebending attacks and landed somewhere near the water. Aang then sent some fire of his own at them with a little helping of sand to confuse them. Suddenly he felt something grab his feet and pull him into the ocean. He looked forward and saw the distinct stance of someone waterbending. The waterbender pulled him to the ocean with the hopeful intentions of drowning the Avatar. However, Aang would not go down so easy. As the waterbender held him to the bottom, he neglected to remember that the Avatar also knew earthbending. As soon as Aang's feet touched the sandy bottom he used it to push himself out of the water and into the air. He landed easily back on the beach and pushed the waterbender with a huge gust of wind into the cliff. He looked back to the boat and saw the majority of them surrounding it, firebending at it and lighting it ablaze.

"Hey!" he shouted and bended a stream of water to push the attackers away from it.

One of them landed close to his feet to where Aang could see his face: bleach white with scarlet lips. His eyes widened as he recognized them as the same who attacked his, Sokka's, and Zuko's kids on Ember Island. A big fireball hit his water stream, breaking his attention to the white-faced man. He whipped up another stream and used it to grab his staff from off the boat and into his hands. Three enemy firebenders combined their strength and sent an enormous blast at Aang. He held his breath and ran towards it and jumped through the fire using his airbending to clear a safe path. Then he landed right in front of the three firebenders and raised three earth pillars, knocking each of them fifty feet in the air.

He looked back at the boat and saw it fully engulfed in flames with the white-faced fiends responsible standing between him and the boat.

"You are going to pay for that," the growled, ready to blast them with everything he's got.

The white-faces looked at each other and one of the earthbenders summoned a wall of sand and hurled it at Aang. He shielded his eyes for a second before using his airbending to clear the sand. When it was cleared, there was no one left, just him and the burning boat.

"Dang," Aang cursed silently.

"Aang!" Sokka yelled coming out of the cliff followed by Zuko and Suki, "What happened to Auggghhhh!!"

Sokka screamed and pointed to his boat.

"What happened to my boat!" he yelled.

"I was attacked," Aang answered.

"Do something!" Sokka yelled and pointed to his boat.

Aang waterbended a stream and used it to put out the fire on the boat, but it was too late. The fire had done its damage, leaving the boat as nothing more than a smoldering pile of charred embers. Sokka ran over and knelt down to cry at his boat's ruins.

"Oh, my baby," he sobbed, "My _Moon Spirit._ You didn't deserve to go like this."

"It's just a boat," Zuko said.

"Actually, besides his family, that boat was his pride and joy," Suki said as she looked sadly at her husband, "He loved that boat."

Suki walked over to comfort her husband, leaving Aang and Zuko alone.

"Luckily you guys took most of our supplies when you left," Aang said, "otherwise, we'd be in really bad shape."

"Who attacked, anyway?" Zuko asked.

"The same white-faced guys who attacked our kids on Ember Island," Aang answered, "These guys do not like us."

"Yet they won't try to finish us," Zuko wondered aloud, "It's almost like they are taunting us or something."

"Maybe not. Maybe they're being instructed by someone to not kill us, but stall us."

"Why?"

Aang shrugged, "I don't know, but whoever they are, they clearly want to keep us from something. Otherwise they would've killed us or our kids by now."

"You might be right," Zuko agreed, "But now that means we have to double our efforts to find whoever's responsible."

"Was there anyone in the bunker?"

"No, Azula lied to us," a glare came upon Zuko's face, "which means we have to start all over again."

**Agnia Prison**

A lone, faux guard walked over to the interrogation chamber and up to the two guards in charge of the chamber.

"I need to see the prisoner," the faux guard said.

"No one can see her without approval from the Fire Lord," the guard replied simply.

"Oh, but I don't need approval," the faux guard grinned and quickly pulled a knife out of his robes and slit the other two guards in their jugulars. They gasped and went down before they knew what happened.

"I knew you'd understand," he said as he picked up the cell key from the dead guard and unlocked the door, "Hello, Princess."

Azula smiled as the faux guard came over to her and unlocked her cuffs. Azula rubbed her wrists as the guard bowed before her.

"You're loyalty will be remembered, Cesso," she promised, "Now, there's one more stop we have to make before we leave."

The door to the former Fire Lord Ozai's door creaked open. Surprised, the beaten old man looked up to see who would visit him in this state. In through the door walked none other than his own daughter.

"Azula?" he couldn't believe his eyes, "You're here to free me."

Azula walked in and unlocked the door to his cage, "Well, I could see why you'd think that, Ozai."

"'Ozai'?" he glared, "Show me your respect, Azula."

"Well, since you lost your firebending, throne, country, and war, there really isn't much respect left in that shriveled shell of a man you are."

"Watch your tongue."

"Your time has come and gone," she walked into his cage, "And I'm here to do what the Avatar and Zuko were too cowardly to do."

She pulled out the knife the guard gave her and pushed Ozai against the wall with the knife held to his chest.

"Azula? What are you doing?" he gasped, "Don't! I am your father!"

"Not anymore," she said coldly and thrust the knife in his chest.

The former Fire Lord yelped and collapsed on the ground, dead. Azula dusted her hands and gave the lifeless corpse, which was once her father, one last look before she walked out with the faux guard.

"Let's go," she told the guard who seemed to be amused by Ozai's murder, "We have important business to attend.

**A/N: I don't do too many author's notes because I like to let the story speak for itself, so you may not see tot many of these here. But given the reactions I got from the last chapter deserved some recognition. I thank everyone for reviewing (not just from ch. 3, but all of them so far) and keep them coming. Constructive criticism is welcomed as well as predictions and other thoughts. Keep up the positive reviews. Peace. **


	5. The Order of Koh

**Chapter 5: The Order of Koh **

**Aang, Zuko, Sokka, Suki. Igneous Island beach**

"So what are we going to do now?" Aang said as he, Zuko, and Suki salvaged as much as they could from Sokka's now charred boat, the _Moon Spirit._

"We need to get back to Agnia," Zuko said as he pulled a golden fan out of the debris. He looked at it curiously before Suki took it and stowed in her belt and continued rummaging, "We will talk some more to Azula, try and get some real answers out of her."

"And how are we going to do that?" Suki asked then whispered out of Sokka's earshot, "It's not like we have a boat anymore."

"There's a naval base on the other side of the island," Zuko said looking inland, "If we move now, we can get there by morning and get a lift from one of the vessels."

"I have a better idea," Sokka said as he sat away from the rest on a piece of driftwood.

"Enlighten me," Zuko said and slung his broadswords over his back.

Sokka turned around and faced his friends and his burnt boat, "How about we track down these guys and find out why they keep attacking us."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Sokka," Aang said, "We got lucky these last two times. I don't want to chance getting put in a worse situation."

"Look, it's obvious they weren't here to kill us tonight, otherwise they would've put up a bigger fight when we all came down here," Sokka said, "If they wanted to kill us, they would've."

"Then they're leading us into a trap," Zuko said and jumped off the boat, "This has bad idea written all over it."

"Oh, come on," Sokka got up, "My ideas usually work out well."

"Oh, you mean like the Day of Black Sun?" Zuko raised his voice, "And our little field trip to the Boiling Rock almost cost us our lives."

"Yeah, and capturing the Avatar then escaping in a blizzard is such a great idea," Sokka replied very sarcastically.

"At least that one didn't involve anyone else's lives."

"Um, hi?" Aang raised his hand.

"Oh, yeah, sorry."

"Fine, but look you two," Aang intervened, "The point is we got to have a plan before we do anything and all this fighting isn't getting us anywhere."

The two men were silent for a few seconds before they nodded in agreement.

"Good, now maybe we should combine our two plans," Aang suggested.

"You mean go after them then hop on one of the Fire Navy ships?" Sokka scratched his head.

"Yeah."

"We don't even know that they're still on the island anyway," Zuko said.

"They only attacked an hour ago," Sokka said, "I doubt they got too far."

"It's all dense jungle through there, plus it's night," Zuko commented.

"We have to do this," Sokka declared, "Finding these guys were the reason we came out here in the first place. We can't just turn back now that they've revealed themselves."

Zuko stood silent for several seconds, contemplating what Sokka had just said.

"Fine," Zuko said, "But in the morning we're leaving, regardless if we found them or not."

"Thanks," Sokka said and took his sword that Suki was holding, "Plus, it'd give me chance for payback for what they did to my boat."

"Great," Zuko rolled his eyes, "So where do we start?"

Sokka turned around and gave Zuko a puzzled look, "I don't know, I figured you'd know."

"How would I know?"

"You seem pretty good at tracking. You followed us around the world for almost six months."

"Well, you guys did have a giant flying bison," Zuko said, "It wasn't that hard."

"Hey if you two girls are done arguing, I found some tracks over here," Suki motioned at the two bickering men and Aang to follow.

"Where?" Sokka asked.

"Right there," she pointed to the mud at the edge of the jungle and the beach, "They covered their tracks in the sand, but not here."

"Where does it lead?" Aang asked.

Suki followed the tracks through the jungle with her eyes, "Looks like they're going up the other side of the cliff we were just on."

"Back up to the bunker," Sokka rubbed his chin, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get them!"

"Ok, but let's be careful," Aang said as he and Zuko followed the tracks.

"You are the coolest wife ever," Sokka pulled his wife in and gave her a big kiss.

"Why thank you, Hubby," she pulled herself free from her husband's grasp, "Now let's go get 'em."

**The Caverns of the Crescent Island**

Inside the glowing caverns and ruins of the Crescent Island, a large group of people sat around a stone temple inside a large room of what was once the Temple of Roku. Although the majority of the temple was destroyed by the Avatar thirteen years ago, some of the rooms and chambers survived and now were being used by the Fire Nation Separatists as an unofficial base of operations. The Separatists only represented half of the people in the room and sat on one side of the table, eyeing the newcomers with suspicion. The other half of the table was occupied by the Terrorists of the Earth Kingdom.

The Fire Nation Separatists were made of several organizations and families and were allied for different reasons. The members of the Southern Raiders and the Rough Rhinos were once prominent military organizations during the war and were free to roam the world during it. Once the war ended they were forced to give up their lives of rape and pillage and return to the homeland. They, however, refused and decided to rebel against the Fire Nation and its new Fire Lord.

Governors Ron Jon, of Ember Island and Ving, of Igneous Island, were some of the governors who were there simply to provide shelter, money, and men for the Separatists. Admiral Chan II provided a similar function as well as more ships for them to use. All of these men and their families were prominent members of the Fire Nation and would never openly reveal to the world that they were aiding these people.

The Combustion Clan was the last of the Fire Nation Separatists there. All of these gargantuan men have been fiercely trained since birth, not only to be extremely muscular, but to use a particular form of firebending that no one else knew. They were descendants of the ancient guardians of the Fire Sages up until five hundred years ago when the Fire Lord at the time nearly wiped them out due to conspiracy to usurp the throne. Sometime during the last thirty years they have been slowly regaining forces.

Now the Earth Kingdom Terrorists had similar, yet smaller group that were determined to secede the Eastern half from the Western. Ever since the end of the war, rivalries between the Eastern city of Omashu and the Western city of Ba Sing Se have been slowly tearing the post-war kingdom apart. The ringleader of the Terrorists was Long Feng, the former advisor to the Earth King. Although he was locked up towards the end of the war, he was released seven years ago after he convinced the royal council that he was in prison during the Fire Nation occupation of the city. Although his former position was filled in Ba Sing Se, he still gained power by getting him named governor of Omashu after King Bumi died.

General Fong, who defected and removed himself and his troops from the Earth Kingdom, represented the second largest force of the Terrorists. The twice banished Dai Li joined them shortly after they defected, followed soon by the opportunistic pirates.

The very influential and prestigious Bei Fong family provided a large sum of financial support as well as immunity through out their lands.

A man in his mid thirties with pointed sideburns walked in, accompanied by four guards.

"Governor Zhou, I was beginning to think you wouldn't show," the aging Governor Ving stood up and bowed, pulling a seat out for their leader.

"I am the leader of the Separatists," he said as he sat in his seat, "It wouldn't be right if I wasn't here."

"Do you have any idea what this is about, Governor?" Long Feng asked from across the table.

Zhou looked at him suspiciously, "You should know. You were the one who summoned us here."

Long Feng gave him a puzzled look, "Why would we request to meet on your land?"

"I would like to know that myself," Zhou sneered.

"As far as I know, you sent us a summons to meet here."

"Impossible, truthfully we don't need any help from you Terrorists and wouldn't invite you out here anyway."

"At least we've staged attacks," Long Feng smirked, "The Earth King knows very well of our existence. That's more than you can say of your Fire Lord."

"We like to keep it civilized, unlike you barbarians."

"Obviously your civility has prevented you from reaching any progress."

Zhou stood up with Long Feng following suit. Soon the entire room was on their feet on the verge of tearing each other apart.

The sound of footsteps and laughter soon interrupted their standoff. Both sides looked curiously to the stairway from where it was coming from. Finally thirteen dark figures emerged.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen," a sharp, female voice said from the darkness, "Let's stop this senseless bickering."

The woman walked out of the shadows and into full light of the curious men. The speaker was none other than the former Fire Nation Princess herself, Azula.

**Aang, Zuko, Sokka, Suki. Igneous Island **

Zuko led the way followed by Aang, and Sokka and Suki as they tracked the footprints through the jungle. He hated this, tracking their attackers through a dark jungle that could hide anyone or anything in the many shadows. Zuko wasn't usually one to back down in the face of danger, but this was different. Almost every conflict he's faced he knew what he was up against, but these white-faced attackers were like nothing he's ever faced before. He used one of his swords to cut away a branch that was blocking the track. After pausing for a second to regain his bearings, he resumed course after picking up the tracks again. He closed his eyes briefly and tried to remember their faces; all they had to do was stand there with their painted faces and they could strike fear into the strongest warrior.

"Zuko slow down," Aang shouted up to him.

Zuko looked back and noticed that he put about a good thirty feet between him and the rest of the group. He didn't want to slow down; all he wanted to do was find a clearing or something to get him out of the jungle. He couldn't stand being enclosed in the leafy, murky, dense jungle and just wanted out.

His hopes were answered when he cut away one last branch that led him up to the top of the cliff. Zuko stopped and breathed a long sigh of relief and exhaustion. After taking a second to regain his senses he opened his eyes and looked down on the ground. What was once muddy jungle rot has turned to solid, gray granite and no trace of footprints what so ever.

Aang, Sokka, and Suki caught up to him, equally exhausted.

"Wha-What did you find?" Aang panted.

Zuko looked around as the cool breeze hit his sweat covered head. There were no traces of human movement at all. He paced up and down the rocky plateau straining his eyes to find something, anything that could lead him in the right direction. He finally stopped and looked at the others shrugging his shoulders.

"I can't find anything," he breathed.

Sokka walked up and took a look around for himself to no avail. He scratched his chin trying to come up with something. As he looked around his eyes landed on Aang.

"Aang, come here," he motioned and the Avatar ran over.

"Yeah?"

"Use that earthbending technique that Toph taught you," Sokka suggested, "You know the one that she uses to see through walls and stuff."

"Ok," Aang nodded and closed his eyes.

He took one deep breath and stomped his foot hard into the rock. Even with his eyes closed he could see everything around him that was touching the ground. His first hit only revealed what was on the surface so he took a deeper breath and stomped harder. This time he was able to see everything below him as well as around him. Beneath their feet was a series of tunnels that lead deep within the cliff.

"I see something," Aang said as he opened his eyes, "There's a lot of tunnels that lead down through the cliff. I can't tell where they go though."

"Good enough for me," Sokka said, "I can't find a single track around here to save my life."

Aang took a stance and earthbended a hole into the tunnel, big enough to allow them to fit through. He jumped in, followed by Sokka, Suki, and Zuko. Aang and Zuko both lit up the tunnel with their firebending and looked around.

"Aang, lead the way," Sokka said, "You're the one with the earthbending thing."

Aang nodded and lead the way.

"I'll watch our backs," Zuko said as he took the rear.

Both Suki and Sokka drew out their weapons; Suki with her fans and Sokka with his long sword.

Aang strained to feel his way around making sure no one was rushing up to them. So far there was no one, but he knew that they were going the right way.

"Is this one of the secret entrances to the bunker," Sokka asked Zuko.

Zuko shook his head, "No, this is all new."

Aang led the group down the tunnels for several minutes until they reached a dead end.

"This is it," Aang said.

"It's a dead end," Suki commented.

"No, it's not," Aang said as he opened up the wall to reveal a large, metal room.

"Now this is the bunker," Zuko said and stepped inside.

"Well, well, well," said a white-faced man standing over them on a ledge, "What brings the heroes of Sozin's War to my humble lair."

**Crescent Island**

The Separatists and Terrorists were all shocked as they saw who was standing before them.

"Azula?" Long Feng asked in disbelief.

Azula stepped further in the light and to the end of the table. Her face was almost completely pale, yet her lips were a crimson redder than blood. A black cloak covered the rest of her to contrast her pale face.

"I thought you were in prison," Zhou said.

"I escaped," she replied simply.

"Why are you here?" Long Feng asked, "None of the people in this room would ever trust you."

"Oh, but I'm not here for your trust," she replied and paused before continuing, "You know, for a bunch of terrorists and separatists, you guys don't seem to be scaring anyone. I mean, how are you guys supposed to get what you want if you can't even scare the Fire Lord or the Earth King. You're all failures."

The Terrorists and Separatists shifted in their seats and glared at the newcomer.

"We've attacked several Earth Kingdom villages," Long Feng brought up.

"And at that rate you might get your independence in about two hundred years," she said causing the Fire Nation side to chuckle, "And you, Separatists, have you done anything other than slowly seep into the infrastructure of the government. You guys are moving slower than glaciers."

"And what can you do?" Zhou asked, amused.

"While you guys all have brilliant ideas, you lack the one thing it takes for them to take you seriously," she smirked, "Fear."

"Fear?" Long Feng said.

"Yes. That is the one thing that can shake the very foundation this world relies on."

"And how are we going to do that?"

She smiled a wicked grin, "We kill the heroes of Sozin's War."

"You mean the Fire Lord, the Avatar, the Water Tribesmen, and all them?" Zhou asked, "Sounds a little far fetched."

"Not true, they're only human," Azula shrugged, "And we won't kill them, that's too easy. We destroy them. Take away everything they love and hold dear and finally when they're in a state of madness, finish them. With the destruction of the Sozin's War heroes the world would be in a state of shock and disarray. It would be the perfect chance to strike."

A lot of the Separatists and Terrorists shifted uncomfortably.

"And how would you do this?" Zhou asked.

"I have people."

The Dai Li gave her a questioning look.

"In order to achieve complete victory we need to hit the world where it hurts. Make them fear us and loose faith in the current system. Hell, infiltrate and corrupt the current system. If everything goes to plan they would turn to our side, and we will win."

"And what do you want in return?" Zhou asked.

"Complete control of your assets and forces," she stated.

The room erupted in laughter.

"You can't be serious," Zhou chuckled.

"I am," she replied with a strait face causing the laughter to stop.

"You think that we'll just hand you control of all of our forces?"

"That's why I called you here."

"So just want to one-up your daddy and become yet another Fire Nation overlord?" Long Feng growled.

"No, see I'm here on your guys' side," she explained, "I really want you to win, so I want to help. I promise that after I take control of your forces, I'll relinquish them back to you when we win."

"So why do you want to do this if you don't want control?" Zhou asked.

"I just want to destroy," she hissed in an eerie voice.

"We can't trust her," Long Feng exclaimed before getting up, "In fact if it wasn't for her, I would've already been the Earth King and we wouldn't be in this situation. She needs to die."

He got in his earthbending stance and prepared to crush her with tons of rocks. Azula grinned and did nothing. Behind her, one of her escorts waterbended and froze Long Feng in his stance. She smiled and motioned for them to come forward into the light. All were dressed similar to her with the exception of their faces. While hers was unusually pale, theirs were bleach white.

"Gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to the Order of Koh," she motioned to the people behind her, "All are exceptional benders from each of the nations. These Face-Stealers, as they're called, specialize in corrupting and destroying every form of government or institution. They are perfect for creating chaos. They will be the propagators of this coming war. And yes, we will resort to war."

Zhou looked at them curiously, "You control them?"

"To an extent. They really don't need control. The best way to use them is to let them run free to do what they want. They will destroy and uproot civilization leaving you, who are guaranteed protection, to inhabit it and rebuild the world."

"And you need us for…" Zhou asked.

"Well, you have to pay your dues if you want immunity. Regardless if you want help or not, the bottom line is that we're going to do this anyway and I want to give you the chance to get what you want. But I need your full loyalty and cooperation, which means revealing yourselves to the public. So what's it going to be?"

Zhou thought to himself for a few minutes and pondered. Finally he made a decision, "You have the support of the Fire Nation Separatists."

"Good, and Long Feng?" she looked over to the ice block that contained the Earth Bender. She rolled her eyes and shot her blue fire at it, melting the ice.

Long Feng collapsed to the ground sputtering water as Azula looked down on him.

"Well?" she asked.

He shut his eyes and came to a decision, "Very well."

"Excellent, now here's what our first move will be," Azula grinned.

**Aang, Zuko, Sokka, Suki. Igneous Island Bunker**

The group looked up at the white-faced man who was staring antagonizing down at them.

"Tell us who you are and why you keep attacking us!" Aang commanded.

"You come into my home and you think you can tell me what to do?" he smiled and shook his head, "Tisk, tisk. You people are really bad guests."

"This is property of the Fire Nation, so technically you're in my home," Zuko glared.

"I tell you what," he jumped off the ledge and onto the same ground as them, "If you can defeat us, we'll tell you everything you need to know."

"And if you defeat us," Zuko asked.

The white-faced man grinned as a dozen others surrounded him, "We'll donate your remains to the nearest museum."

The leader then sent a burst of flame towards the group, which was easily deflected by Zuko. Soon the others attacked with combinations of fire, water, and earth. Zuko and Aang formed a circle around Sokka and Suki who were powerless to fight against these benders. The white-faced men formed a circle of their own and closed in on the four.

"Urgh!" Zuko shouted as he narrowly blocked a flying boulder, "We need to work as a group. Aang, follow my lead to get Sokka and Suki close enough to where they can do some damage."

"Got it," Aang replied as he deflected a large flame.

Zuko began moving to his right with Aang following close, keeping the two non-benders safe from the enemy's attacks. The four were impenetrable though. Nothing the enemy threw couldn't be blocked or dodged by them. Finally, as they got in close, Sokka and Suki attacked with their respective weapons. Aang and Zuko then decided to charge the opposite direction of the circle and work their way through the ranks one at a time.

Sokka and Suki made short work of the first few they came in contact with, but had some trouble with the others who wisely tried to put some distance between them and the weapon-wielding couple. Sokka, who had the longest weapon, decided to charge at their opponent to throw him off guard then Suki would come in with her fan and finish him off before moving on to the next one.

Aang and Zuko had their own trouble trying to defeat the white-faced men. Unlike Sokka's and Suki's fighters, theirs would try and put as little distance as possible between them. They took down a few but were coming up horribly short as they fought their way through, especially Zuko. He was in a close combat fight with an earthbender who had encased himself in a rock suit. No matter what Zuko threw at him he couldn't get a hit. At one point he left himself open for a square hit to the chest and the earthbender took full advantage, punching Zuko square in the chest and sending him hurdling to the ground. The earthbender then removed his rock suit and sent the same rocks crashing down to Zuko who luckily rolled out of the way in time. Aang saw this and air blasted Zuko's attacker into a nearby wall knocking him unconscious.

"Zuko, you alright?" Aang asked as he fended off his current attacker.

Zuko groaned and clutched his chest, "Not really. You need to use the Avatar State. It's the only way to win."

Aang blasted away his attacker and took a deep breath, concentrating all his energy to summon the feared Avatar State. Suddenly his eyes and tattoos lit up in a blinding white light. His body then levitated in the air and a sudden gust of wind accumulated in the bunker. Zuko, Sokka, and Suki shielded their eyes but were in no real harm now that Aang had control of the Avatar State. The white-faced men weren't so lucky and had a look of sheer terror on their faces as they watched the Avatar unleash his true power. He then created a cyclone and an earthquake inside the building causing all the white-faced men to stumble to the ground. Debris then filled the room as Aang's powers were strong enough to strip the very metal off the walls and sent it spinning around. Aang then eyed the six remaining opponents and charged at them. Although they tried to defend themselves, they were no match for the combined powers of a thousand avatars. The dropped like flies one by one until Aang reached the leader of them and pulled him up by the collar.

"Why are you after us?" Aang yelled in a disfigured voice.

The leader grinned nervously, "We had to."

"Why?!"

"The Leader told us to."

"Leader of what?"

He struggled for a few seconds before spilling, "The Order of Koh."

"And who is your leader?"

The Face-Stealer hesitated, "I- I-,"

"I'm getting impatient. Answer me!"

"Azula," he whispered, "Don't tell her I said anything. She would send me to Koh herself."

Aang seemed pleased with this answer and threw him into the wall, knocking him unconscious. The gusts and quakes then ceased and Aang stopped glowing, returning to normal.

Suki helped Zuko up and followed Sokka to Aang.

"He said they were part of the Order of Koh and that Azula was his leader," Aang said.

"So this was a trap, but not to kill us," Zuko said more to himself than anyone, "She must be planning something big."

"Right, lets get to the navy base and regroup back home as soon as possible," Sokka said, "If Azula is planning something, we need to be ready."

Zuko nodded in agreement and the four of them headed back up to the surface.

**A/N: Sorry about the delay, guys. I've been pulling 50 hours these last two weeks and I honestly feel like I let you all down. But hopefully this chapter was enough to make up for it. Please R&R and maybe I'll update tomorrow. **


	6. First Strike

**Chapter 6: First Strike**

**Agnia Fire Nation Palace**

Katara was sitting in the living room enjoying an early morning cup of tea when her little nephew walked in.

"Aunt Katara?" young Dao pulled on her kimono, "can I have a cookie?"

Katara was sitting in the living room enjoying an early morning cup of tea when her little nephew walked in.

"No Dao, you just ate," Katara looked down at her nephew.

"But I'm hungry," he pleaded.

"Ask one of the servants to give you some crackers then."

"I want cookie," he slammed his foot down.

"No sweets this early," she said firmly while rubbing her temple, already getting a headache.

Dao pouted but walked away leaving Katara to her tea.

"Mom," Zek approached his mom who was in the study working on some papers, "Shaola keeps following me around."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Mai sighed.

"Make her stop," he begged.

"Zek, you're ten years old. I think you can solve these things without my help now."

"Fine," he stormed off.

A few minutes later Shaola ran into the study crying with a dart sticking out of her hair bun.

"Zek threw a dart in my hair," she sobbed and ran to Mai.

"Zek!"

"Yeah, Mom?" Zek walked in.

"Why did you throw a dart in her hair?" she scolded while trying to comfort Shaola.

"You said to solve it myself."

"I didn't say to throw a dart at her," she yelled, "Go to your room."

Zek breathed a sigh of relief, "Ok, Mom."

He then mumbled and smirked, "Finally."

Katara was in her room folding clothes when her two kids walked in.

"Mom?" Kya asked in an angelic voice.

"What do you want?" she cocked her eyebrow. Her daughter loved using that voice when she wanted something.

"Can me and Ahmo go to the beach and practice waterbending?"

"No, there's a pool in the garden."

"There's too many turtle ducks in the pool," Kya complained.

"Until we find out what we're dealing with, no one's leaving the palace."

"What if we bring one of the guards with us?"

"Kya don't fight me on this," Katara rubbed her temples, "I have a real big headache."

Back in the study a drenched Rozin stormed in with an angered look on his face. Mai looked up and sighed at her son's condition.

"You're soaking wet," she commented.

"You think?" he yelled, "Girls are crazy! Kya practically took over the whole garden where I usually practice so she could splash around in the water. I told her to leave then she soaked me."

"Don't fight her again or you're going to be grounded," Mai said sternly.

"So how am I supposed to get my garden back?"

"Just compromise, I guess," she offered and took a closer look at her son, "Did you walk through the whole palace like that?"

Rozin looked down at his dripping wet clothes, "I couldn't find you."

"Change your clothes before you ruin the floor!" she yelled and pointed towards the door.

"Fine," Rozin mumbled.

"And no more fighting."

Rozin stormed out and not even a second later Dao took his place.

"Miss Mai?" Dao asked in a sweet voice.

"What?" she sighed.

"Can I have a cookie?"

"What did your aunt say?"

"Yes," he lied and smiled.

"I did not," Katara said standing in the doorway.

"Aww, please?" the little boy pleaded.

"No, now go in the garden with the other kids," she pointed outside and Dao sulked off.

"I swear these kids have been bugging me all day," Katara shook her head.

"I know," Mai sighed, "It's not even noon and I already have a headache."

"Tell me about it," Katara said.

"Hey girls," Ty Lee poked her head in. She saw how miserable her friends looked and changed her normally perky mood to a more serious one, "Kids bothering you guys?"

"Yes," Mai covered her face, "At this rate I'm never going to get this stuff done."

Ty Lee thought for a second, "Why don't we all get out of the palace for a day? Just us girls. We can go to a beauty salon!"

"Sorry, but I got a lot of work to do," Mai said, "Plus I'm not into the whole female bonding thing."

"Let Iroh handle it. Besides the Fire Lady should always look her best."

"I think it's a great idea," Katara said, "Iroh can look after the kids and do all your political paper work."

Mai thought for a couple seconds before surrendering to the decisions of her two friends, "Alright, fine. But I am not going to a beauty salon."

"That's ok," Katara said, "Anything to get out of the palace."

The three women walked into the garden where all the kids where. Kya was showing Ahmo a new waterbending move, Jian and Dao were feeding the turtle ducks in the pool, and to Mai's surprise Zek was with Shaola showing her how to throw shuriken. Only Rozin was by himself hidden away on the other side of the garden practicing his firebending.

"Alright listen up kids," Katara raised her voice to get all their attention, "The three of us will be leaving for a while."

"Wait, so you get to leave the palace but we can't?" Kya crossed her arms.

"That's right," her mother looked down on her.

"How's that fair?"

"Urgh, shut up already," Rozin grumbled.

Shocked, Kya snapped her head in Rozin's direction, "Why don't you shut up before I water whip you again?"

"I will set you ablaze right now!" he shook his fist at her.

"Knock it off!" both Mai and Katara yelled at once.

"You kids will behave for Iroh while we're gone," Katara said, "and no one is to leave the palace."

The kids nodded and Mai, Katara, and Ty Lee turned and walked away.

"This is so unfair," Kya huffed and crossed her arms once they were out of earshot.

"Tell me about it," Jian added, "This is my first visit here and I can't even leave the palace."

"If you girls are done complaining, I have a plan," Rozin said.

**Aang, Zuko, Sokka, Suki. Igneous Island. **

"Hey, Sokka," Zuko said while rubbing his eyes, "anyone ever tell you that you snore like a bison in allergy season?"

Sokka yawned, "Yeah, I get reminded that all the time."

The four of them decided to camp outside the port town last night and were now packing up.

"So how far away is the naval base?" Suki asked.

"Not too far," Zuko slung his bag over his shoulder, "With any luck we should be there in a few hours."

"Good," Aang said anxiously, "the sooner we leave, the better."

"What's with you?" Sokka asked.

Aang sighed, "It's this whole Order of Koh thing. I've been having a real bad feeling ever since we left the bunker."

"So they're a little creepy and psychotic, "Sokka shrugged, "Other than that they're complete pushovers."

"It's the fact that they associate with Koh that bothers me."

"And who's Koh?"

"It differs from nation to nation, but I remember the monks telling me that he was the Spirit of Death."

"God of death in the Fire Nation," Zuko added.

"Keeper of the dead in the Earth Kingdom," Suki also added solemnly.

"Whatever nation depicts him as, it's the same. He's associated with death and he steals the faces of those who challenge him. I've met him once before," Aang lowered his head.

"When?" Sokka asked.

"The North Pole during Zhao's invasion," Aang gulped before continuing, "One of my previous incarnations, Avatar Kuruk, tried to slay him but failed. And it cost him his life."

The other three looked uneasily at each other.

"Koh said that we'll meet again, but I thought nothing of it at the time," Aang lifted his head back up, "We need to be extra careful if Koh is involved in this. There's no telling what he could do to us or our loved ones."

"This could be just some fanatical cult thing right?" Sokka suggested, "No magic or anything involved."

"Are we ever that lucky?" Zuko stated.

"Good point."

"Koh has been known to prey on the loved ones of those against him," Aang continued, "We need to protect them even more than ourselves."

Zuko nodded, "Let's get going. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can put together some sense of this Koh problem."

The four of them picked up their supplies and began to head out to the Fire Navy base.

**Agnia Palace**

"What's the plan?" Ahmo asked Rozin as the seven of them walked through the palace.

"Just follow my lead," Rozin quietly said as they turned in to the study where Iroh was working.

"Uncle Iroh?" Rozin asked.

Iroh looked up and smiled at his grand nephew and his friends.

"Yes, my nephew?" Iroh said, "What are you kids up to?"

"We were wondering if we could borrow your pai sho table."

"What happened to yours?" Iroh took a sip of his tea.

"Oh um… Kya soaked it," he said uneasily.

"What?!" Kya yelled.

Rozin shot a glare telling her to play along.

"Oh, yeah," she stammered, "He thought he could beat me at it so I water whipped him, but he ducked and it hit the board. His fault, really."

"What a shame," Iroh shook his head, "I will loan you mine, but no bending is allowed near it. I've had it for a long time."

"Ok," they all agreed as Iroh took the board off his top shelf.

"So you guys are going to have a tournament of sorts?" Iroh asked and handed the board to Rozin.

"Yeah, we'll probably be at it all day," Rozin answered, "Nothing much else to do here anyway."

Iroh nodded, "Well have fun. I have a lot of work to do while your mother and father are out."

Rozin smiled, "We'll be up in my room."

Once out of earshot Kya smacked Rozin on the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"This is your brilliant plan? Play pai sho all day?"

"No," he said as he kicked open his bedroom door, "We're making him think that we'll be here all day. Me and Zek have been around long enough to know that he'll check up on us once and than fall asleep before an hour's even up. Trust me this isn't the first time we've done this."

"So all we have to do is pretend to play pai sho for a little bit then sneak off?" Jian asked.

"More or less."

"And how do we do that with guards all over the place?" Kya wondered, trying to find a fault in Rozin's plan, "you can bet our mom's told the guards to make sure we didn't leave."

"That's why it's good to be a firebender," Rozin smirked, "There are secret tunnels that only firebenders can open."

"Sounds good," Shaola said.

"Now, let's pretend to play," Rozin set up the board, "Kya, I think you and I have the first game."

"Why me?"

"Because you almost blew our cover back there. Plus, according to your story, we were going to play earlier."

She huffed, "Fine, but I'm only doing this so we can sneak out of here."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," he said as she sat opposite of him.

**Katara, Mai, Ty Lee. Dragon Lady Day Spa**

"I said no beauty salons," Mai groaned as she looked up in disgust at the sign of the Dragon Lady Day Spa.

"It's not a beauty salon, it's a day spa," the bubbly Ty Lee pointed out.

"Same thing."

"Come on, we never get to things anymore with me living in Ba Sing Se and all."

Mai sighed at her obvious distaste for places like this.

"One time won't kill you," Katara said.

"Probably will."

They walked in and were immediately greeted by the beauticians.

"Welcome to the Dragon Lady Day Spa," the overly cheerful woman greeted, "What can we do for you today?"

"The Fire Lady, the Avatar's wife, and I would love to get the full treatment," Ty Lee said.

The greeter bowed quickly at the mention of the Fire Lady and the Avatar's wife, "Such an honor to have Lady Mai and Lady Katara at our spa. Please follow me on back."

The three got quickly situated first in the massage room, each lying face down on a table while masseurs got to work on them.

"How's Haru?" Katara asked Ty Lee.

"He's good," Ty Lee replied as her masseur worked on her upper back, "You know he got elected Earth King a few years ago."

"I didn't know the Earth Kingdom was a democracy now," Katara replied.

"Yeah, it's something new we've been trying out. The Eastern half seems to be accepting it, but not the western," she began closing her eyes in relaxation, "Governor Long Feng is leading the opposition against the democracy and it's proving to be a problem for us."

"No offence to your husband, but that was a stupid move putting him back into power," Mai said.

"Haru knows what he's doing," Ty Lee defended, "Plus we were out of options when Bumi died last year."

"All I know is I won't be going to Omashu for a long lime," Katara said.

"The Kingdom's doing better with Haru leading. We needed a change towards freedom."

"Kind of like what the Fire Nation's going through right now," Mai commented, "Zuko wants to create a kind of republic for the governors, but we need to weed out the corruption first."

"That will definitely be a step in the right direction," Katara added, "You know Aang wants to re-establish the Air Nation?"

"But the airbenders are all extinct," Ty Lee said.

"He hopes that by repopulating the temples that there will eventually be some airbenders born. We already have the Northern and Eastern Temples populated with Teo and his people in the Northern and a group of gurus in the Eastern."

"We better hope for some more airbenders soon otherwise the cycle will be broken," Mai noted.

"Maybe you and Aang should get busy making some airbenders, if you know what I mean," Ty Lee winked at Katara.

Katara chuckled, "No thanks, two waterbenders are more than enough for me to handle."

**Rozin, Kya, Zek, Jian, Shaola, Ahmo, Dao. Agnia**

"Wow, that was incredibly easy to sneak out," Shaola said as the seven of them made their way into the city, "How'd you find out about the tunnels?"

"Me and Rozin found them about four years ago," Zek answered.

It was late in the afternoon and they escaped just as Rozin said they would. Iroh came in about an hour earlier to check up on them and was out not even fifteen minutes later. Rozin and Zek led the way through the secret catacombs and tunnels that wound under the palace and city.

"So what are we going to do?" Jian asked.

"The only thing that's going on today is a market," Rozin said, "We can look around there for a couple hours and get back before our moms get home."

"You think we can split up and meet back here in an hour?" Shaola asked.

They were standing in a crowded plaza with a giant fountain in the middle of it.

Rozin shook his head, "As much as I would like to, there's still the problem with the white-faced guys who attacked us on the beach. There's only two benders and two with weapons out of all of us. If someone tried to attack us our best bet would be to stick together."

"There's three benders," Kya corrected.

"I didn't count Ahmo because he doesn't know how to fight like you and me do," Rozin said.

"That reminds me," Shaola said, "Do you know anyone who sells weapons here?"

"I could take you to the guy that I go to," Zek offered, "That is if Rozin's ok with it."

Rozin nodded, "Just meet us back here in Imperial Square as soon as you're done."

Zek nodded and started walking off with Shaola next to him before Jian stopped them.

"Wait," Jian called to her sister, "Take Dao with you."

"Aw, come on," Shaola complained.

"No, I've been watching him all day, it's your turn."

"Fine," Shaola held out her hand, "Come on, little brother."

The little toddler hurried over and took his sister's hand and they resumed their walk to the weapons store.

"So what are we going to do?" Kya asked.

"You guys wanted to experience the Fire Nation, you tell me," Rozin said.

Kya and Jian stared down the street at the many booths that lined it. Everything seemed to be sold there; meat, produce, bread, jewelry, clothes, and just about everything else known to man. She had no idea where to start.

"Let's start with the clothes," Jian suggested as if reading her mind.

"Sure," Kya shrugged.

"You coming?" Jian asked Rozin as they started down the street.

"I don't do clothes shopping," Rozin said simply.

"Why not?" Kya asked.

"Forget it, just leave him," Jian said, pulling her arm.

"Fine by me," Kya turned away but Ahmo wasn't following them, "Come on Ahmo."

Ahmo was standing next to Rozin, refusing to go with his sister and cousin.

"I want to stay with Rozin," the little boy protested, "I hate clothes too."

"You want to stay with Rozin?" Kya raised her eyebrow shocked at his decision.

Ahmo nodded.

Rozin, who was just as shocked as Kya was, stepped forward, "It's ok, I can watch him."

"Ok," Kya said nervously before switching gears and becoming protective, "Keep an eye on him or you'll be sorry."

"Don't worry. He seems to be a nice kid," he replied before mumbling, "Unlike his sister."

Kya was about to tear him a new one but was quickly pulled away by Jian.

"Come on, Kya," Jian pulled her away to avoid another fight.

**Zek, Shaola, Dao. Weapons Store.**

"Prince Zek," an older, dark skinned man with a goatee greeted the young prince and his friends, "How are you doing today, son?"

"Master Piandao," Zek bowed.

"Wait a minute," Shaola shook her head, "How do you know Master Piandao?"

"How do you know Master Piandao?" Zek raised an eyebrow.

"I don't, but my dad was trained by him a long time ago."

Piandao studied her for a few seconds then smiled, "Well, I'll be. You must be Sokka's daughter."

"How'd you guess?" Shaola asked.

"Well there was only one other student I trained besides your dad, and his son is standing right next to you," Piandao explained.

"He trained my dad broadswords when he was around my age," Zek explained, "And he's been making me the best shuriken in the Fire Nation since I could remember."

Piandao nodded, "So what can I do for you? Those eight-point stars I sold you a week ago should be still good."

"It's actually for her," Zek motioned at Shaola.

"I need a new pair of sai," she walked up to him, "I left my usual pair on Kyoshi."

"Hmm…," Piandao scratched his beard, "I think you're in luck. I made a pair for a guy a couple weeks ago, but he never came by to pick it up. Think he got arrested or something. Let me see if I still got it in the back."

He walked off and into the back room to search for said weapons.

Shaola and Zek stood there in silence for a while. She kept an eye on Dao as he admired a Water Tribe club mounted on the wall. Like his two sisters, Dao had a fascination with weapons that was probably inherited from their parents. She took a quick look around to make sure there was nothing low enough for Dao to reach. As she did she accidentally locked eyes with Zek. Both stared at each other for a second then quickly turned away with shades of red on their cheeks.

"So…you've known this guy your whole life, or what?" Shaola uneasily asked.

"Just about," Zek said flatly, "He moved here after the war and my mom got me my first dagger from him when I was five."

"Weird that he knows both our dad's."

"And my great-uncle."

"He does?" Shaola raised her eyebrow, "How does he know all these people?"

"He is a member of the White Lotus."

"Plus, being a world renowned weapons master does give you quite a reputation," Piandao added as he emerged from the back room carrying a box.

"Here's your sai," Piandao opened the box for Shaola.

Inside the box were the shiniest, sleekest, cleanest daggers she'd ever laid her blue eyes on. She was entranced by how incredible these weapons looked.

"Try them out," Piandao offered.

Shaola carefully took them out and did a few quick jabs and cuts in the air.

"They're amazing," Shaola exclaimed, "They're so light it's like they're not even there."

Piandao nodded, "Light, but tough as diamonds."

"How much do I owe you?" Shaola asked and put them back in the box.

"Nothing," Piandao shrugged, "Consider it a gift from one warrior to another."

"Really?"

Piandao nodded, "Plus the other guy paid in advance."

"Thank you," she bowed and attached her new weapons to her belt, "I'll try to get my dad to come by sometime."

Piandao bowed back, "I look forward to it. You kids take care now."

"We will," Shaola and Zek said together.

Shaola then grabbed Dao and tore him away from Piandao's collection of katanas. The three then exited the store and walked back to the Imperial Square.

"Can I have a cookie now," Dao asked his sister.

"Yes," Shaola smiled.

After stopping by a baker and picking up a cookie for Dao, they reached the now vacant Imperial Square and had a seat at the edge of the fountain.

"You know that was real nice of you to bring me there," Shaola said.

"It's cool," Zek shrugged, "Don't worry about it."

Shaola giggled at his aloofness, "Ok."

"Sorry for throwing a dart at you earlier," Zek said quietly, obviously not good at making apologies.

"It's cool," she mimicked him, "Don't worry about it."

"Ha, ha," he replied sarcastically.

Shaola then out of impulse reached over and gave him a hug. Zek closed his eyes and relaxed for a second before going rigid and pulling himself free of her grasp.

"I don't do hugs," Zek threw his hands up.

Shaola straightened up and put some distance between them and waited for the others to return.

"Aw love birds, don't stop on our accord," Jian said as she walked up with Kya next to her.

Zek blushed and Shaola got angry with her sister.

"Shut up, Jian!" Shaola shouted.

Jian just stood there and smirked at her sister's immaturity.

"Anyone seen Ahmo or Rozin?" Kya asked.

Zek shrugged his shoulders.

Footsteps were heard running towards them from behind and they snapped around to see who was rushing at them. The runners stepped into the light and revealed themselves to be Rozin and Ahmo.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Jian asked.

"What happed?!" Kya snapped at Rozin.

"Something bad has happened," Rozin said catching his breath, "We need to leave, now."

**Aang, Zuko, Sokka, Suki. Fire Navy Base**

"Finally, back in friendly territory," Sokka threw his hands up as they entered the base, "Never thought I'd be happy to be in Fire Nation territory."

"Fire Lord Zuko?" an aging, gray haired man asked while coming down a ramp of one of the ships.

"Admiral Jee?" Zuko asked, "I wasn't aware your ship was docked here."

"We decided to come out here after we heard what happened."

"What happened?" Aang asked.

"Lots, Twinkle-toes, lots," Toph said as she followed Jee of the ship.

"Last night your father was killed, Fire Lord Zuko," Jee said solemnly.

Zuko was shocked by this. He never really loved his father but he didn't expect him to be killed in prison.

"Do we know who did it?" Zuko asked.

"We have reports of two people leaving the prison unauthorized," Jee started, "One an unknown man with a white painted face."

"Order of Koh," Sokka commented.

"And the other… the former princess Azula," Jee finished.

"So, you mean to tell me not only is my father dead, but Azula escaped with a member of the Order of Koh?" Zuko asked.

"That's not all the good new either," Toph said sarcastically, "In the Earth Kingdom Omashu has seceded from us tacking with them all their land in the province. Plus we have had multiple reports of the Western Air Temple being completely destroyed."

"What?!" Aang shouted.

"Sorry, Twinkle-toes, but it's true," the blind earthbender replied.

"We have a list of the traitors to the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom on the ship, my lord," Jee said.

"Very good, Admiral," Zuko said and turned to the others, "We need to get back on that ship and head back to Agnia."

"Good idea," Sokka said.

"Wait," Aang said, "We can't head back yet."

"Why not?" Zuko asked.

"This is a major crisis that involves all nations. We are at the brink of another major war that shake apart the world we live in. We need to contact the leaders of each nation and decide what we're going to do before we start acting on impulse."

"And how are we going to do that?" Toph asked, "We can't exactly send a messenger hawk to every leader."

"No, but I can contact them by using the Avatar spirit," Aang said, "The same way I was connected to all the avatar temples at once thirteen years ago."

"That could work," Sokka said, "Do you think you can do it?"

Aang nodded, "Just give me some time alone so I could meditate."

"Good, now let's get out of here," Zuko said and continued up into the ship.

**Rozin, Kya, Jian, Zek, Shaola, Ahmo, Dao. Agnia. **

"So Ozai's dead and Azula escaped," Kya asked in disbelief.

"That's what one of the vendors told me," Rozin shrugged, "We need to go right now."

"Yes, lets," Kya agreed.

"Why in such a hurry, kids?" a white faced man blocked their exit.

"Back off," Rozin stepped in front of him in a fighting stance.

"Don't be foolish, boy," he grinned, "You can't defeat us."

"Us?"

Five others then appeared out of the darkness and surrounded them.

"Come with us and we wont harm you," he grinned again.

Kya pulled some water out of her pouch, "That's not happening."

Jian pulled out her sword, Zek his shuriken, and Shaola readied her sai.

"You're out numbered, pal," Rozin stared him down.

The Face-Stealer grinned and initiated the fight by earthbending a boulder and throwing it at Rozin. Rozin evaded it and opened fire on the earthbender. He kept his basics in mind as he dodged everything that was thrown at him and tried to go for his footing. He quickly got lucky and burned his feet then front kicking him in the face, knocking him out.

At the same time, Kya was engaging her opponent who happened to be a firebender. She made the first move by water whipping him before he even had a chance to fight back, though the firebender reacted quickly and started shooting fire balls at her. She managed to block some with her water but the next attack left her completely dry.

"Useless without your water, huh?" he grinned and prepared his final strike.

The firebender sent a stream of flames at her, but luckily Rozin jumped in the way just in time and redirected the flames at the opponent, finishing him.

"Let's help the others," Rozin grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

Zek threw two of his stars at one of the Face-Stealers and pinned him strategically so that he couldn't bend. His next opponent turned out to be a little more difficult as he closed the gap between them fully knowing that Zek's advantage was distance to throw his projectiles. Out of options, Zek pulled out two of his daggers and attempted his close range defensive tactics against his katana-wielding foe. Soon he found himself cornered and backed into a wall. The Face-Stealer smiled and prepared to make his final cut but Shaola stepped in and caught his sword with one of her sai while slicing his chest with the other. He stumbled back allowing Zek the opportunity to use his darts to pin him against the wall. That left two standing.

Jian had her hands full, not only with fending off two at once, but also protecting Dao and Ahmo whom she kept behind her.

"A little help here, guys?" she yelled and kicked back the enemy firebender.

Rozin jumped in and sent a stream of fire at the other firebender, who was surprised but managed to deflect most of the attack. This didn't stop Rozin who double kicked some more flames in his direction throwing him off balance, giving Rozin enough time to end the fight with a fireball to the chest. Rozin then turned to see the three warriors squaring off against a dual broadswords wielder. The sword fighter was overpowered and was quickly put out by Jian with a jumping round kick to the head.

"Nice," Rozin nodded at her, "Now let's get out of here."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Kya replied and followed the others back to the palace.

They wound their way through the tunnels, dodged all the guards, snuck past the snoozing Iroh, and were on their way to Rozin's room. They were about to make it back in one piece and without being caught.

"I think we're home free," Shaola whispered.

"Oh, you do, do you?" a very enraged looking Katara stated from behind them causing the kids to jump and turn around.

"Living room," she pointed down the hall, "Now!"

**Aang, Zuko, Sokka, Suki, Toph, Jee. Fire Navy Ship. **

"Why does it not surprise me that Governor Zhou is behind this," a furious Zuko wondered aloud.

"Not to mention Long Feng," Toph added.

All of them had just left Igneous Island, which was now declared enemy territory, and were at the moment headed back to the Fire Nation capital.

"Not only are our families in danger, but now the entire world could be at the brink of another war," Zuko exclaimed.

"So you think that Azula could be in league with these Separatists?" Suki asked.

"Wouldn't surprise me," Zuko mumbled.

"I doubt that these guys would let her join," Sokka replied, "She really manipulated a lot of the people on this list during the war. Even backstabbing some of them."

"What's your point?"

"Most of these people knew Azula at some point and they know she'll betray when given the opportunity. There's no way they'll trust her."

"They don't have to," Zuko looked distant, "All she has to do is intimidate them and make them fear her."

"She has nothing to use anymore," Sokka exclaimed, "Maybe her firebending and lighting, but that wasn't what truly made her intimidating. During the war she had power and used that to her advantage. Now she has nothing."

"You're forgetting about the Order of Koh," Zuko rebutted.

"Order of Who?" Toph asked.

"The Order of Koh," Zuko corrected, "They were behind the attacks on Ember Island and breaking Azula out."

"Plus they wreaked my boat," Sokka mumbled.

"Yeah, 'cause your boat is so important," Toph said sarcastically.

"Well, it is!"

Toph shook her head and munched on some fire flakes, "Sad little man."

The metal door then creaked open and Aang walked in to join his friends who suddenly quieted.

"Well?" Zuko asked as the Avatar sat down.

"Did you manage to contact them?" Sokka asked.

"Yes," Aang replied.

"And?" Zuko asked again.

"We're meeting at the Southern Air Temple in one week," Aang stated.

**A/N: Sorry it's late, again. My work has not been kind to me as far as giving me time to write. Plus a severe case of writer's block doesn't help much either. Hope you like it. Please R&R. I would like to see some more feedback. Peace, my friends. **


	7. The Departure

**Chapter 7: **

**The Council of Nations part 1: The Departure**

**Agnia Palace. **

"You kids are in so much trouble!" Katara yelled at the seven kids seated in the living room.

"We're sorry," Kya said quietly.

The kids were busted by Katara not even a minute after sneaking back into the palace. Katara, Mai, and Ty Lee returned home after hearing the news about Ozai and Azula. They were home for a good ten minutes before the kids showed up. It was bad luck for the kids that Katara was just on her way to check up on them when Rozin opened up the secret door.

"You're sorry?" Katara repeated back, "You could've been killed."

"Especially after what had just happened with Azula's breakout," Mai added.

"We didn't know about it to later," Rozin explained, "When we heard about it we came running home."

"You shouldn't have left in the first place," Mai scolded.

"You're right, Mom," Rozin looked down and said quietly, "It was my fault. I told them to come with me. If you're going to punish anyone, punish me."

"Don't try that with me," Mai shook her head, "Far as I'm concerned, you're all grounded."

"You can't ground us!" Kya yelled.

Mai scowled at her.

"Fire Lady, ma'am," Kya added quickly.

"No, but I can," Katara looked down at her daughter and then to her brother's kids, "Everyone who's related to me is grounded."

The kids groaned but were immediately silenced by Katara.

"Go to your rooms," Katara pointed upstairs.

"Us, too?" Zek asked.

"Yes, move," Mai ordered.

The kids sulked upstairs with their heads hung low. Though, after nearly a half an hour of yelling and scolding by their mothers, it was a relief to escape it all.

"Why didn't you tell them about the attack?" Kya asked Rozin once they got out of earshot.

"You want to be in more trouble?" Rozin raised an eyebrow.

"Not really, but still…"

"Listen, we beat those goons to a pulp. Let's just keep it our secret, okay?"

The rest of the kids nodded and agreed.

"Good," Rozin turned in to his room, "I'm going to bed."

The other kids dispersed and went into their respective rooms to end a very eventful night.

**Aang, Zuko, Sokka, Toph, Suki. Agnia Palace, the next afternoon. **

"Honey, we're home," Sokka called as the five of them walked into the palace.

"You don't live here," Suki rolled her eyes.

"Eh," Sokka shrugged.

"Where are all the servants?" Zuko wondered.

"Hey, Dad," Rozin sulked over to them, "May I take your bags?"

"Where are the servants?" he repeated to his son.

"Mom gave them the week off," Rozin took his father's bag, "We're filling in for them now."

Zuko glared, "What did you do?"

Sokka couldn't help from laughing.

"They got your kids doing servant's work?" he wiped a tear from his eye, "Classic."

"Your kids are doing it too," Rozin added.

Sokka got serious and straightened up, "What?!"

"It's true, Dad," Jian walked in and grabbed his bag.

"Stop doing servant's work," Sokka grabbed his bag back, "Fire Lady or not, Mai can't make my kids do this."

"No, but I can," Katara walked in and handed his bag to Jian.

"What did they do?" Aang asked and gave his wife a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, they thought it would be a good idea to not only give me andMai the biggest headaches of our lives, but also to disobey us and sneak out of the palace."

"Well, to be fair," Jian explained, "We didn't give you a headache intentionally so technically it wasn't our fault."

"Ha, ha," Suki mock-laughed at her daughter's sarcasm and threw her bag to her, "Now take our stuff upstairs."

"Likewise," Zuko glared at his son, "We'll talk later."

"Wait, Rozin," Katara called to the young prince.

Rozin turned and Katara grabbed Aang's bag and threw it to him.

"Take Aang's bag upstairs, too."

"Why can't Kya do it?" he complained.

"She's mopping the dining room, now move."

"Fine!"

"Don't talk back to her," Zuko scolded him.

"Sorry, Miss Katara," he apologized before walking up the stairs, mumbling something incoherent.

"So, how did they all get along?" Aang asked as they made their way into the sitting room.

"For the most part, all right," Katara sat in one of the chairs, "Except for one incident with Shaola and Zek. Plus, Kya and Rozin were at each other's throats almost the whole time."

"Did they fight again?" Zuko leaned against a bookshelf.

"Verbally and physically."

"I'm going to kill that kid," Zuko grumbled, "He shouldn't be picking fights with girls."

"No offense, but you did fight me and Suki when you were only a couple of years older than him," Katara reminded him.

"That was different," Zuko tried to explain himself.

"Not really," Katara said, "Rozin is almost exactly like you, minus the Avatar hunting thing. Makes sense he would act the same way."

"And Kya's like you," Sokka said, "That's probably why they don't like each other."

"How so?" Zuko asked.

"I don't know if you remember, but you and Katara hated each other for the longest time," Sokka shrugged, "Makes sense that your kids would carry it on through them."

"I guess," Katara said then looked at Sokka, "When did you get smart all the sudden?"

Sokka was about to answer then caught on to the full meaning of the question and glared at his sister.

"Hey! I'm smart."

"Anyway, I think we all raised a bunch of trouble makers because that's all they seemed to be causing," Katara said ignoring her brother.

"So glad I do not have kids," Toph said.

"It's not all bad," Katara assured.

"Sorry but after I've seen what you all go through has made me never want to have kids."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Sokka said, "I don't think the world could handle a bunch of little Toph juniors running around."

Sokka chuckled at his own joke and so did Toph. Then she slugged him hard on the shoulder.

"Ow!" he rubbed his shoulder, "Jerk."

"So what happened?" Mai asked as she appeared through the doorway.

"Toph hit Sokka, but that happens all the time," Aang said.

"I meant on Igneous Island," she rolled her eyes.

"I'll tell you about it later," Zuko walked over to her and gave her a light kiss.

They parted and Mai stroked his chin stubble.

"What happened to your double beard?" she asked.

Zuko freaked out and started feeling around on his chin for it.

"What? What the hell happened to it," he said franticly.

"I think one of those guys burnt it off when we got into a fight with them," Aang shrugged, "Thought you would've noticed it by now."

Zuko was furious but Mai put her hand on his shoulder.

"It's ok," she soothed him, "You look a lot better without it."

"Wait, I thought you said you liked it," Zuko stared at her.

Mai shrugged, "We all make mistakes."

Mai then looked to the rest of the group, "The cooks said dinner will be ready in twenty minutes. The kids are setting the table right now."

"Thank the spirits," Sokka stood up and stretched, "I'm starving."

"When are you never hungry?" Suki got up and rolled her eyes.

Sokka shrugged and they got out and began walking upstairs for some much needed alone time.

"Let's go, Fire Lord," Mai tugged on Zuko's tunic, "You got some work to do."

"It never ends, does it?" Zuko groaned while walking out with his wife.

"Well, I'm going home," Toph got up.

"You won't stay for dinner?" Katara asked.

"Naw, I've got way too much work to do, sorry," she explained.

"Well, bye," Katara got up and waved as she walked out.

Once everyone was gone Aang got up and wrapped his arms around Katara from behind.

"Did I tell you that you look beautiful today?" he whispered in her ear and kissed the back of her head.

Katara turned in his arms and wrapped her own around his neck, staring into his deep, gray eyes.

"No," she smirked, "But it can't hurt to say it."

Aang smiled and pulled her into a kiss. What started as a light kiss quickly turned into a passionate one as Katara pulled her self as close to him as possible. With their eyes closed and their breathing heavy, they hungrily sucked on each other's lips and tongues, engaged in pure ecstasy. Aang's hands slid down her back and to her rear and pulled her even closer than before earning a gasp from her.

"Uh hm?" Kya cleared her throat as she saw her parents making out in the sitting room.

Aang and Katara, who were so blinded and clouded by their ecstasy, shot their eyes open and jumped at the sound of their daughter's voice.

"Oh, hi Kya," Aang scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Get a room," she rolled her eyes and shook her head before turning to walk away.

Aang and Katara chuckled at what just happened.

"Well?" Aang suggested.

"Well, what?" Katara raised her eyebrow.

"She does have a point," he raised his own eyebrow suggestively.

"We only have, like, fifteen minutes," Katara whispered.

"That's plenty of time."

"For you," she smirked and started to walk away.

"Hey!" Aang called after her, "That's not right."

She stopped and turned towards him.

"Be nice and maybe we'll finish this up later on tonight," she smiled seductively.

"You got it," Aang grinned as she walked away.

**Rozin and Kya. Kitchen Wash Room**

"This is so degrading," Rozin complained as he dried a plate.

Him and Kya were assigned by Katara to wash and clean the dishes after dinner was over.

"Shut up and keep drying," Kya handed him a wet plate, "You don't have to scrub all this nasty food off."

"Still, this is servant's work," he roughly dried the plate and set in a stack he'd been working on, "And why do our parents keep forcing us to work together?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, "Maybe they want us to get along or something."

"We're going to kill each other, aren't we?"

"That's what I told my mom and you know what she said?"

"What?"

"She said fine, just do it together," she handed him another plate, "Can you believe that?"

Rozin snorted, "Whatever. I have better things to do than pick fights with you."

"Like what?" she struggled to scrub some gunk off her uncle's plate, "The only thing I've seen you do other than fight was practice your firebending. Don't you have any friends?"

"Don't you?" he glared at her.

"I live in the Southern Air Temple with just my brother and my parents," she finished with her uncle's plate and handed it to Rozin, "What's your excuse?"

"I'm not a people person," he dried and set the plate down.

"Aw, is Rozin shy," she teased.

"No," he yelled, "I just don't like people. I don't like talking with them or anything."

She started scrubbing a salad bowl in silence and handed it off to him when she finished.

"What about the other night?" she asked.

"What about it?"

"You went out of your way to talk to me," she said, "You even helped me."

"Yeah, and look how that turned out," he set the bowl on the counter.

"Well, you did act like a nice, normal guy and not a jerk. I liked that."

"Yeah and I screwed that up," Rozin said quietly, "See now why I don't like being with people? I constantly mess things up."

"And what about when we snuck out?" she started on another plate.

"My way of making it up to you guys," he answered, "And even that got messed up."

"It wasn't completely your fault," Kya handed him the plate, "Just bad timing."

"Well it still blew up in my face!" he yelled, "Nothing ever seems to go the way I want it."

"Quit whining for once," she yelled and threw the washcloth in the sink, "You're the Prince of the Fire Nation. In what way could you have a bad life?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," he yelled back, "You don't have to spend your life training and preparing to lead a nation that's responsible for a hundred years of war."

"And you have no idea what it takes to live up to your father like I do. My dad's the Avatar. You think that's easy?"

"At least he's a symbol of good. Millions of people around the world still think my family's evil."

Kya held up her hands, "Just stop. We're not going to fight anymore."

"And why not?" Rozin sneered.

"Because it's pointless!" she exclaimed, "Are we that desperate to fight that now we're complaining about how our lives are? Compared to what our parents had to go through when they were our age, I think we've had pretty good lives so far."

Rozin sighed, "You're right."

Kya nodded, "No more fighting."

She held out her hand.

"Truce?"

Rozin nodded and shook her hand, "Truce."

Kya turned back to continue washing dishes while Rozin waited to dry them.

"Maybe our parents were right about forcing us together," she smirked.

"Don't tell them that," he smirked back.

They both laughed and for the first time since they met, they actually enjoyed each other's company.

**Zuko and Mai. The Study**

Zuko and Mai were both in the study reading over various reports and other political papers that were strewn across his desk. In addition to the assortment of random papers ink wells, reed pencils, and a stamp of the Fire Lord's seal were also throw about. Zuko read over one of the reports, clenching the parchment in a vice-like grip.

"You know, when I took the role of Fire Lord, on one told me that I would be up to my neck in paperwork," Zuko grumbled.

"What did you expect?" Mai asked as she looked for a clear spot on the desk. The cleanest spot was near the corner and she chose to sit there and watch her husband labor over his paperwork.

"There are reports of armies massing on every island west of Ember Island," Zuko picked up two more papers not even noticing his wife sitting on the desk.

"So what do you want to do?" Mai awkwardly leaned over through the mess.

"We need to pull the military back to friendly territory for the time being," Zuko kept reading over everything, "At least until after the meeting."

"What about the civilians?"

"They'll just have to wait it out for the time being, unfortunately," Zuko sighed, "As much as I'd like to evacuate them, I don't want to risk losing our military in case full out war breaks out."

Mai groaned. She was tired of hearing about politics. The only reason she was there in the middle of the night was to spend time with her husband whom she rarely got to spend time with. She reached out and lightly raked her finger nail over his hand.

"Why don't you call it a night, Zuko?" she whispered, "Everyone's asleep. It's just the two of us."

Mai had gotten up and walked around him to massage his back and nuzzle against the side of his head. Zuko glanced over and turned his head.

"You want something?" he asked, completely oblivious to his wife's actions.

Whatever Mai was feeling before was completely gone now.

"Nothing," she snapped and got up to walk away.

It then hi Zuko what his wife was just doing and he quickly shot up, accidentally knocking over an inkwell over his desk and his wife's dress.

"Crap," he muttered trying to mop up the mess.

"Zuko!" she turned and yelled.

"Wait," he grabbed her hand as she inspected her dress to make sure there was no ink.

"Why? You're obviously so into your work that you can't even spend time with your own wife."

"I'm sorry," he apologized and pulled her to him.

He pushed back his chair and led her on his lap.

"I'm sorry, love," he whispered in her ear.

"You going to ignore me after this?" she raised her eyebrows.

Zuko shook his head, but Mai was still not convinced. He then pulled her closer and began kissing the base of her jaw line repeatedly. As stubborn as Mai was, she couldn't be anymore. Not with him kissing her there and Zuko knew that. Finally she cocked her head over allowing Zuko access to her lips which he eagerly took. Nothing was light or gentle about this. It was rough and passionate as both of them fought each other over their lips and tongues. Mai moaned in complete euphoria as he pulled away from her lips and back to her neck. As he did this, she instinctively found his good ear and started sucking and biting. If Mai's spot was her neck, then Zuko's had to be that right ear. He pulled her wais and pulled her closer as he kept biting and sucking on her neck. His fingers then found the hem of her dress and he slipped his hand up her leg exposing her ivory skin. Mia gasped and pulled away.

"What?" Zuko panted, confused.

"Not here," she breathed, "Upstairs."

Zuko smirked and picked her up bridal style, carrying her off to the bedroom to finish what they'd started.

**Agnia Docks**

Four days later everyone was preparing to leave for the Southern Air Temple to meet with the leaders of the rest of the world.

"So why does Aang insist on bringing everyone to the meeting?" Mai asked Zuko.

"Safety in numbers, he figures," Zuko shrugged, "I keep telling him that the palace is a fortress but he won't listen. Won't harm anything, though."

Aang had decided earlier to bring the kids along mostly as a way to protect them from the Order of Koh as well as the possible war. For added security he decided to fly the five oldest kids on Appa with him while everyone else rode on the Fire Navy ship.

"So we can trust On Ji with running the country while we're gone?" Mai asked.

"She's one of the few politicians that I can trust with this," Zuko answered.

"I can't wait to go to the Southern Air Temple," Iroh walked up, "I've always told myself that I would see it before I die and here I am."

"We were there before, don't you remember?" Zuko looked at him.

Iroh shrugged to show that he didn't know.

"It was our second stop after I was banished. I was the only one who climbed up the slope to the temple because you would rather drink tea and play your Pai Sho."

"Oh, now I remember," Iroh snapped his fingers, "We won't be climbing up there, will we?"

"Seriously?" Sokka walked up next to Iroh, "I doubt were all going to take turns on Appa getting up there."

"Weren't you listening earlier?" Katara asked.

Sokka shook his head.

Katara groaned, "The ship is loaded up with balloons to take us up there."

"That's why we're leaving earlier," Zuko added, "The world leader will meet us there and they'll be taken up by balloon."

"Oh, now I remember," Sokka jerked his head up.

"Just get on the ship," Zuko rolled his eyes.

"See ya back at the temple, bud," Sokka nodded at Aang who was just finishing loading up the last of the bags onto Appa.

"Take care of them," Zuko nodded as Aang walked over.

"I will," Aang nodded back.

Zuko, Mai, and Iroh turned and followed Sokka up the ramp of the ship leaving Aang and Katara on the dock with Appa and the kids.

"Be safe," Katara said and wrapped her arms around him.

Aang planted a soft kiss on her lips.

"Don't worry, we will," he pulled away, "I love you."

Katara pulled him back for another kiss.

"I love you, too."

"Can we get going already?" Kya yelled from up top of Appa.

"I'm coming," Aang called up there and looked back at Katara, "See you in two days."

He jumped and landed on the back of Appa's head.

"I'm still at a loss as to how this thing flies," Rozin crossed his arms.

Aang turned around, "Just hang on."

He took the reigns and yelled, "Yip, yip."

With a grunt the flying bison levitated in the air and flew off.

Katara watched as Appa and everyone disappeared into the horizon. She then silently walked up the ramp and onto the ship. Shortly after, the ironclad ship cast off and followed the route to the Southern Air Temple.

**Aang, Rozin, Kya, Jian, Shaola, Zek. Flying on Appa**

If there was one thing Kya loved, it was flying. For as long as she's been alive she loved being in the air. She remembered when she was younger her father would take her flying with his glider. How she longed to be an airbender so she can soar in the air forever.

As the wind rushed through her hair she turned and looked at Rozin who was grasping the edge of the saddle for dear life.

"Never flown before?" she grinned.

He looked at her with terrified eyes, "A few time in a balloon. Didn't like it then, don't like it now."

She crawled over to him and sat on his left.

"It can actually get real peaceful up here," she said.

"Let me know when that happens," he groaned.

"Ok, this is too weird," Jian said from the other side of the saddle, "A couple of days ago you two couldn't be in the same house together. Now you're sitting next to each other and being nice?"

"I guess we made peace with each other," Kya shrugged.

"Good," Shaola said, "I don't think I could've taken another day of you two fighting and arguing all the time."

"You guys are going to love the Southern Air Temple," Kya looked at Rozin and Zek.

"Better not be boring," Zek groaned.

"We could play bending ball," Kya offered.

"What's bending ball?"

"It's like air ball, but since none of us are airbenders, we modified the rules to work for all benders."

"I'm not big on sports,' Zek leaned back.

"And, news flash, only three of us are benders," Jian said.

"We'll figure something out," Kya said optimistically.

"I hope so because the last time we went up there we were hopelessly bored," Shaola groaned in her attempt to sound like Zek.

Zek caught this and opened his eyes, raising an eyebrow.

"You weren't bored," Jian noted, "You took a pretty nice fall off ledge causing Uncle Aang to fly down and save you."

"Yeah, but that was traumatizing," Shaola exclaimed.

"We told you to stay away from the ledge."

"I was six!"

Everyone, including the Fire Nation Princes, started to laugh causing Shaola to blush a deep red.

"It's ok, Shaola," Rozin said, "When Zek was eight he thought he could balance on the railing on one of the ships. A big wave then hit it and rocked the ship making him to loose balance and fall down into the water. My dad had to jump in to pull him out. The ship wasn't moving or anything but Zek was shivering and crying when he got pulled out."

"I was shivering because it was the middle of winter," Zek defended himself, "And I didn't cry."

"Yeah, you did," Rozin smirked, "I was there."

"I thought you said you wouldn't tell anyone about that?" Zek sat up.

Rozin shrugged, "Must've slipped my mind."

"Well, in that case, you all want to know what Rozin does when he's alone?" he asked everyone.

"Shut up," Rozin glared.

"The mighty Fire Prince is a poet," Zek smirked.

"I don't write poetry!" Rozin yelled as the others laughed at this unexpected hobby he had.

"Well what do you write, Haiku Master?" Kya smirked.

Rozin sighed. He knew he couldn't lie and try to escape the answer.

"I'm a songwriter," he lowered his head and mumbled.

Everyone laughed harder.

"For some reason I can't picture you as a songwriter," Kya smiled at him.

Rozin lifted up his head, "Well, I am related to Iroh."

The kids laughed and joked together, telling stories of their pasts and just having a genuinely good time. Aang glanced back and couldn't help but smile as their friendship reminded him of his legendary one. Maybe this one will have the power to change the world as his did.

**A/N: What do you know, I'm not late on posting this time. Nice, little quiet chapter before things start to get ugly. And as the show does, this story will have a few chapters that are split into mutiple parts. Peace, my friends. **


	8. The Meeting

**Chapter 8: **

**The Council of Nations part 2: The Meeting**

**Southern Air Temple Chamber. **

Aang walked up to a podium in the center of a large room as several dignitaries from each nation watched him. He sighed and looked out at his audience, nervously. He was never one for public speaking, but him being the Avatar, he was forced to overcome his phobia. He looked across the room at Katara, who nodded in support.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat before raising his voice, "I would first like to thank you all for coming out here on such short notice. I know this isn't exactly the easiest place to get to, but for now, it's the safest."

"Safest from what?" Earth King Haru asked.

"For the past couple years we have been seeing an incline of terrorism and rebellion spanning across the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation."

"Why is that any of _our _problem?" Chief Arnook stood up, "Sounds to me like this is a domestic issue for those countries."

"These rebels have employed the use of benders from all over the world, including the Water Tribe, Chief," Zuko stated.

"I can assure you that no water bender from our tribe would be involved in anything of the sort, _Fire Lord_."

"Believe it."

"How dare you make accusations against our tribe!"

"I'm not accusing your tribe," Zuko shot back, "just those few in it."

"How do you know they're not from the South Pole?" Arnook stated.

"Because," Chief Hakoda stood up, "we only have five benders…, and they're under the age of ten."

"The point is," Aang raised his voice over the bickering politicians, causing them to sit down, "that mine, my brother in law's, and the Fire Lord's families have been attacked by this group of specialized terrorists who we believe are employed by the Separatists of those two kingdoms."

"Who are these terrorists you speak of?" Haru asked.

"They wear white face paint and paint their lips blood red," Aang started, "they call themselves the Order of Koh."

**The Kids. Outside the Chamber.**

Rozin stood outside the closed doors of the conference chamber with Kya, Zek, Jian, and Shaola. He huffed and paced in front of the door.

After he passed by Jian for the third time, she rolled her eyes at him.

"You know, if you walk around like that enough, you might be able to wear down a trench to get under the door?" she stated wryly.

He stopped and glared at her.

"I don't like just sitting here and doing nothing," he exclaimed.

"We're kids, what do you expect?" Kya said.

"I get what you're saying, Rozin," Jian agreed, "I mean, our parents weren't much older than us when they got involved in the war. Why can't we?!"

"You really want to be in there with a bunch of adults, our parents included, talking about politics?" Shaola asked.

"I'm going to be Fire Lord one day. I think it's reasonable that I should be involved in this kind of stuff," Rozin stated.

"Trust me, Rozin," Iroh said as he walked up with three others in dark cloaks, "you'll find out soon enough, just like your father did. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a meeting to attend."

The kids moved out of the way for Iroh and his acquaintances as they pushed open the doors and walked in.

**Conference Chamber**

There's a murmur within the audience as the politicians discuss amongst themselves while Iroh and the other three entered and took center stage. Aang, who looked annoyed at the pointless bickering, suddenly brightened as he saw Iroh.

"Ok, everyone quiet!" Aang shouted in a raised voice, but went unheard, "Hello?!"

Still, they argued.

"Quiet!" Iroh roared, catching the attention of everyone in the room, "Your Avatar is talking to you."

Aang nodded, "Everyone, these are the four Grand Masters of the Order of the White Lotus. I have summoned them here for their wisdom in this matter."

"What can a bunch of old geezers tell us that can help this situation?" Haru blurted out.

"Mind your tongue, son," one of them said as he removed his hood, revealing he was in fact, Tyro.

Haru was taken aback and immediately bowed to his father, "I'm sorry, father. I had no idea you were a member of the White Lotus."

"Master Tyro, here, fulfilled Bumi's position after he passed," Iroh stated, "And may I introduce the other two Masters: Master Pakku of the Water Tribe, and Master Guru Pathik of the Air Nomads. Together we represent the dozens of others from the four nations to unite in peace, even during war time. And today we are here to shed some light to you all about the Order of Koh."

"What's to worry about?" Chief Arnook wondered a loud, "They're face painted freaks."

"Those face painted freaks are some of the oldest, most feared organization in the history of our world," Pakku explained.

"What do you mean?" Aang asked, interested.

"For as long as there has been the Avatar, there has been the Order of Koh," Iroh stated, "They, in fact, represent the opposite of what the Avatar stands for. While he stands for peace, unity, and balance; the Order only believes in destruction and chaos. Unlike the Avatar, who is one person, they are multiple people. Time and time again in the history of our world they wreaked havoc by spreading and infiltrating every known infrastructure, be it government, religion, and even on down to the smallest village."

"So why do they call themselves the Order of Koh?" Zuko asked.

"Koh is their patron god," Pathik answered, "They feel that if they can convert the world into their cult, then Koh would lead them into a life of immortality."

"Meaning everyone on earth will die," Iroh said flatly.

Everyone looked uneasily at each other. No one has heard of this Order, but nonetheless all were scared of it.

**Outside the chamber. **

Rozin had his ear pressed against the door, straining to hear something, anything to give him some insight to what the adults were talking about.

"Well, what do you hear?" Jian asked him anxiously.

"Shh!" Rozin hushed her, "I'm trying to hear."

"That doors an inch thick," Zek noted.

Rozin lifted his ear from the door and frowned at it.

"Maybe if I had a glass, or something…" he said out loud to himself.

"Why do you need a glass?" a voice said from behind them.

All five of them turned to see who spoke. A twelve year old boy and girl stood behind them dressed in silk robes clad in various shades of green.

"Who are you?" Rozin growled.

"Wow, you people in the Fire Nation truly are quick to the point," the boy said with a smirk, "Really haven't changed much."

"How about I burn you to a crisp right now and remind you of old times?" Rozin shook his fist at him.

Kya rolled her eyes at him, "Honestly, what is with you and wanting to burn people to a crisp? Are you some kind of closet pyromaniac?"

"I _am _from the Fire Nation," Rozin reminded her.

"And your hot headed-ness doesn't reflect your nationality at all," the young Earth Kingdom boy said sarcastically, "By the way, my name's Lao. Prince Lao."

He motioned at the girl standing next to him, "and this is my twin sister, Princess Lin."

Lin smiled softly and bowed.

Jian raised an eyebrow, "Can't she introduce herself?"

"She would if she could," Lao replied, "but unfortunately she's been deaf for several years now."

"Oh," Jian blushed, embarrassed, "I'm sorry."

Lao shrugged, "You didn't know. So, who are you guys anyway?"

Jian was about to answer, but was cut off eagerly by Kya.

"Well, this is Jian and Shaola, Sokka and Suki's kids, and this is Rozin and Zek, Zuko's kids," she pointed at each of them as she read off their names.

"_Prince _Rozin," Rozin corrected.

Kya rolled her eyes, "Whatever. And I'm Kya, daughter of the Avatar."

Lao's eyes widened, "The Avatar?! Wow, that's something."

Kya smiled softly and blushed a little, though somewhat unnoticeable from her dark skin. Rozin rolled his eyes at her bashfulness.

"What do you want?" Rozin asked him.

"You want to hear in on the top secret conference, right?" Lao asked.

"Yes."

"Well, you might be in luck," he replied smugly, "I can help."

"How so?" Jian asked.

"My sister's an earth bender."

"Congratulations," Zek replied flatly, "I'm not."

Lao ignored him and continued on, "Lin's studied an alternative method of earth bending from Sifu Toph. You know how she's the only person in the world who can see through earth bending, right?"

"Yeah, well except for my dad," Kya replied.

"Well Lin took it a step further. Not only could she see through earth bending, but she can also hear."

"How can she do that?"

"Sound creates vibrations on the things around it. So with her earth bending, she can actually pick up on those vibrations and figure out what they're saying."

"How can she translate it if she's deaf?" Rozin asked skeptically.

"She knows sign language," Lao stated simply, "She listens, I translate."

"Well," Rozin motioned towards the door, "do it, hot shot."

Lao turned to his sister and nodded. She walked over to the wall and put her hand on it, closing her eyes to better concentrate.

**Conference Chamber**

"So have these guys ever succeeded?" Aang asked nervously.

Iroh shook his head, "No, but they have come close. The closest they came to complete global domination was nearly a thousand years ago. They were so close to taking it over that nearly three quarters of the world's population was destroyed. Avatar Jung of the Earth Kingdom was powerless to stop them."

He paused and sighed before continuing.

"In fact, Avatar Jung was killed before the end of the struggle."

Aang paled and grew extremely uncomfortable, as did the rest of the audience.

Aang sighed, "How, how did they stop them? Without the Avatar."

"That was the formation of the Order of the White Lotus. After the Avatar was killed, the oldest, wisest masters of the world put aside their cultural differences and led the people in a last ditch effort to stop the Order of Koh. After a battle, known as The Longest Day, they staged a mass offensive involving millions of soldiers and benders from across the world, bringing the fight to them outside of Ba Sing Se. Casualties were great on both sides, but the Order of the White Lotus and the World Resistance prevailed. The Order of Koh, what few survivors were left, disappeared and were thought to have been lost to the sands of time… until now. Our ancestors once thought as you do. They underestimated the significance of them and many paid the ultimate price. This is something we can not afford to do. Everyone in this room has been affected by Sozin's War and knows the horrors of all out war. If this does not get resolved soon, we will soon find ourselves in a war that could be ten times more costly than Sozin's War, or any other in the last thousand years. We are the Order of the White Lotus. We are not government. It is up to you people, the inheritors of the world, to decide what to do. We can only offer our wisdom in the hopes you would not let your petty squabbling distract you from a most serious of threats. Good day, ladies and gentlemen."

Iroh and the other High Masters bowed before Aang, who bowed back.

"Thank you, General Iroh," Aang replied as the High Masters turned and took their seats in the back of the chamber.

Aang looked out at the congregation of world leaders. All were shaken by Iroh's chilling tale. He couldn't blame them for he was too. But he was the Avatar. The one who stood alone against the wicked and evil time and time again. He had to be strong for the people or they would loose hope like before. He took a deep breath and hardened his gaze.

"Now we know what we are up against," Aang started, "We have two choices: either we can sit back and stick our heads in the sand, pretending this isn't happening in our world, or… we can stop it. We all have children, grand children, nieces, or nephews, or know someone who does. Unlike us they have the potential to grow up in a world of peace. Where war was something they would read about in history books. All of us were affected by Sozin's War. Families were torn apart for nearly five generations. Don't you think we owe it to them to spare them the knowledge of violence and war? I refuse to sit back and do nothing in the face of danger of this magnitude, and I refuse to face it alone. If anything we should've learned from Sozin's War was that if we stand alone, we are lost. But if we join together, we will prevail. Sozin's war was won by not just me, and not just the Earth Kingdom or the Water Tribe, but all people. All four nations had a part in ending that war by putting aside their differences and fighting for a greater cause. I know we can do it again. What say you?"

A calming silence drew over the crowd. No one dared speak first.

Zuko looked around. First at his fellow countrymen, then to the delegates of the rest of the world. He waited for a few seconds. When no one spoke he scowled and stood up.

"Avatar Aang," Zuko said as his voice boomed throughout the chamber.

Aang looked at his long time friend, happy to see his long time friend be the first to cast their vote.

"The Fire Nation has committed countless atrocities over the past hundred years," Zuko continued, "We pushed the world to the brink of destruction and were the sole cause of so many things wrong in this world today. When I first took the position of Fire Lord, I promised to do everything in my power to restore the honor of my country. I will not break that promise now. You have our support."

Aang nodded and looked at Haru and his delegates, "King Haru?"

Haru looked at him and stood up, "Avatar Aang, you know as much as anyone the strength and stamina of the Earth Kingdom. We can endure anything and we never give up without a fight. However, with the civil war brewing in our west, and our military in short supply due to the War, we can not spare any of our forces to aid in this struggle. I'm sorry."

Aang frowned, but nodded as Haru sat back down. He then looked to Chief Arnook and nodded. Arnook nodded back and stood up.

"Avatar Aang," he started, "The Northern Water Tribe has endured many hardships over the centuries. We even managed to survive Sozin's War and withstand two large scale invasions. It is not in our nature to get involved with other countries policies. The Northern Water Tribe will not join your coalition."

And with that he sat back down. Aang glanced over at Teo, the Minister of the Air Nomads.

"Minister Teo?" Aang asked.

Teo looked over at him in despair, "I'm sorry, Avatar Aang, but you know as wells as I do that the Air Nomads have no military. We have a small population, but no benders. My father will gladly support you in the technological aspect, but we unfortunately can not offer military support."

Aang nodded sadly, "I understand."

"We will, however, use the temples to provide safe haven for refugees and continue to develop technology to help ensure success."

"Thank you," Aang said before turning to Hakoda, "Chief Hakoda?"

Hakoda stood proudly, "The Southern Water Tribe has seen first hand what all out war could bring us. We know how decimating it is and how it can tear apart lives of our loved ones. You and I fought together in Sozin's War. I would truly be ashamed of myself if we did not fight together to prevent another one. Avatar Aang, you have the full support of the Southern Water Tribe."

Aang nodded thanks to the Chief and turned to the whole chamber.

"So this is what the Council has decided?" Aang asked, earning several nods from various delegates, "Then so be it. Fire Lord Zuko and Chief Hakoda, I will meet with you at a later time to discuss our strategies. The rest of you can enjoy your stay in my home or leave whenever you feel like it. Good day."

And with that, the delegate rose and began filing out of the room. Eventually only his close friends were left in the chamber. Aang walked over and sat down next to Katara and their friends. He sighed as she put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

"I can't believe that even with everything Iroh said, the nations still wouldn't take this seriously," he sighed.

"And to think my sister tribe didn't join us," Katara spat bitterly, "even after everything you've done for them."

"They're a bunch of jerks anyway," Sokka shrugged, "the only decent one out of the bunch was Yue."

"As nice as it would be, you can't force other nations to do what you want them to," Zuko said silently, "Maybe they're not as willing to change as us."

"At least I have you guys," Aang replied, "because this time, I have a feeling we're in it for the long haul. I will not stand by and let the world slip into another war."

"Don't worry, Avatar Twinkle Toes," Toph said as she playfully slugged his shoulder, "we still have your back."

Aang smiled realizing just how lucky he was to have friends help him through thick and thin. He wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

**A/N: I'm back. And for the record, I didn't give up on this story, I just took a year long vacation. **


	9. Second Strike

**Chapter 9**

**Second Strike**

**The Kids. Outside the Southern Air Temple**

Rozin, Kya, Zek, Jian, and Shaola, as well as Lao and Lin, sat outside the Southern Air Temple in a small courtyard around a fire. The sun had just set only moments earlier leaving the summer evening sky dimly lit in an orange, gold, and red hue as the sun sets lower and lower. Any other night the kids would've thought it was peaceful and beautiful, but not tonight. Tonight, a war was brewing. The seeds of war had been planted and their world was on the brink of a crisis that none of them could comprehend.

Kya sighed and covered her face with her hands.

"I can't believe we're going to war," Kya sighed.

Rozin snapped out of trance and looked at her.

"Nothing's certain yet," he explained, "right now they're only talking about war."

Lao sat forward, "True but from what I've learned in school, when people talk about going to war, they usually do."

Rozin glared at him, "Yeah, well, the Earth Kingdom isn't going to war. Your father decided to sit out like the selfish earth bender he is."

Lao glared back at him, "My father is not selfish! Believe me, he wants to help, but remember we have our own problems too. We have a full out civil war on our hands. We can't afford to send our military on some global campaign. No thanks to your people."

"We didn't cause your civil war," Zek added.

"No, but you did plunge the world into a hundred years war," Lao said, "Why should we ally ourselves with a nation that tried to destroy us?!"

"Because, pupil Lao," Toph started as she approached them from behind, "Sozin's War is over. The Fire Nation is not our enemy anymore. Nothing we can do can change the past, but we, especially you kids, have it in our power to make the world a more tolerable place."

Lao shut up as his teacher sat down with and spoke to them.

"Regarding what you were talking about earlier," Toph continued, "no, there is no war yet. Fortunately, Aang feels that we should do everything in our power to prevent this from becoming a full out war. And, no, the Earth Kingdom isn't totally sitting it out. Not if I have anything to say about it, anyway."

"What did you do to convince King Haru otherwise?" Jian asked.

"I'm an ambassador to the Fire Nation, remember? My job is to uphold our ties with theirs. If I left the Fire Nation to defend itself, by itself, I wouldn't be doing my job right. Plus, I have friends there and I would hate if Aang, Katara, Sokka, or Zuko went off to fight, but not me."

Rozin smirked, "Yeah, I can't picture you, of all people, sitting out from a war."

The kids and Toph snickered at the thought, and then Toph playfully hit Rozin on the shoulder.

"Ow!" he yelped and rubbed his shoulder, "I hate it when you show affection."

"Ha, you are almost a carbon copy of your old man, Rozy," she smirked and stood up, "Well, I better be going. You kids play nice, especially you, Lao."

They nodded silently, not daring to get on Toph's bad side.

When she was out of earshot Kya raised her eyebrow at Rozin as he took a sip of tea. He looked at her quizzically and put the cup down.

"What?" he raised his eyebrow.

"'Rozy?'" she asked, biting her tongue to hold back her laughter. The rest of the kids were doing the same. Shaola in particular was on the verge of exploding.

"Shut it!" he warned quickly, but to no avail. All the other kids started to burst out with laughter that could be heard all around the Southern Air Temple. Rozin's cheeks burned red and he covered his face, thankful that it was dark outside.

**Eastern Tower of the Southern Air Temple. **

Aang stared out the open window and down at the fire where he can hear the kids laughing. He smiled warmly; remember how simple and carefree it was to be at that age. No war, no politics. Nothing but carefree, sometimes stupid, fun.

"So, Aang, what do you think?" Zuko asked him from the table.

Zuko sat there with Mai, Admiral Jee, Iroh, Katara, Sokka, Katara, Suki, Haru, Ty Lee, Hakoda, and other diplomats and generals from all but the Air Nomads.

Aang, however, paid no attention and just stared outside.

"Aang!" Zuko shouted.

Aang snapped back to reality, "Huh? What?"

Zuko sighed, "We were just discussing possible strategies to stop this war. You being the Avatar, it might be useful for you to pay attention!"

"Sorry," Aang turned away from the window and sat down, "What's up?"

"Haven't you been listening?" Zuko asked, "We're planning on massing a cooperative strike against both the Separatists in the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom."

"Wait," Aang turned to Haru, "I thought you guys were sitting this out?"

"Technically we are," Haru answered truthfully, "but I spoke with Toph earlier and she suggested cooperating with the Fire Nation in this."

"Pretty much," Sokka started and stood up to point at the map on the table, "both the countries decided to organize an attack on their own Separatists by striking their headquarters in Omashu and the Crescent Island. Pretty much now we're going to organize our forces to strike each base simultaneously. We know that both are in league with each other, so an offensive on multiple fronts would throw them off balance and into disarray."

"Do we know who's leading the Separatists?" Katara asked.

Admiral Jee nodded, "Yes, turns out Governor Zhou is the ring leader behind the Separatist movement in the Fire Nation."

"Not to mention several other governors and military officials," Zuko added and indicated the Fire Nation on the map, "Pretty much every island east of Fire Fountain Island, Zhou's island, is enemy territory. The exception is Hot Spring Island, which I know for sure is Loyalist."

"Which means ensuring their safety should be our number one concern," the Fire Nation general, Sako, suggested.

Zuko shook his head, "No, keeping the Fire Nation together is our number one concern."

"But, my lord, if we neglect the citizens there I fear they could fall to the Separatists," General Sako shot back.

"We have four battle ships and two transport ships docked there," Zuko informed, "not to mention the five thousand stationed at the base there."

"I suggest we at least send them an additional two thousand," General Sako suggested.

"We will," Zuko agreed, "Given the island's strategic location, we will use it as our primary base in the East for attacking the Crescent Island, and the other Separatist islands if necessary. When can we have five thousand there?"

General Sako flipped through his papers frantically, "Uh…, two days. Two thousand standard infantry, one thousand benders, fifteen hundred archers, and five hundred mechanics and operators."

"See to it. And make sure we have air ships ready. We may need them."

"Yes, my lord."

Aang nodded and turned to Haru, "How about you?"

"We've already moved three battalions to Kyoshi," Haru started, "the only loyalist in the West. Pretty much, we're going to use the same strategy as Fire Lord Zuko."

"Only three battalions?" Suki asked, "They may be Separatists, but they still control a powerful army."

Haru held his hand up, "I realize that, and I assure you more are on their way. Right now it's our base of operations in the West. Will your people cooperate?"

"Yes and, speaking as their leader, the Kyoshi warriors will gladly aid in ending the civil war," Suki stated proudly.

Haru nodded approvingly.

"King Haru," Zuko said, "You're going to be invading Omashu, am I correct?"

"Yes."

"Omashu is an incredibly well protected city," Zuko informed, "It lasted nearly the whole of Sozin's War. Its unique design and its hazardous surroundings made it nearly impenetrable. That's the city you're going to invade."

"I know the cities in my kingdom, Fire Lord," Haru rolled his eyes.

"I know, but what I'm saying is, the best way to invade Omashu would be from the air. If you want, I can lend you some of our war balloons and air ships."

"Much appreciated," Haru nodded, "But no. We're not helpless. We have our own war balloons and are working on designs for the air ships."

"Ours are twice as advanced as yours," Zuko stated, getting irritated by Haru's stubbornness.

"Zuko!" Katara snapped, "If King Haru doesn't want them, then he doesn't want them."

"I was just trying to help!"

"Trust me, Fire Lord," Haru held his hand up, "If there's one thing I know, it's my own country, just like you know yours. I appreciate the offer, but we'll fare with ours."

"Fine," Zuko spat.

"So when are we doing this?" Aang asked.

Zuko looked at Haru, "Three days reasonable?"

Haru nodded, "Three days. Like I said, my forces are on Kyoshi already. Just waiting for yours to be on Hot Spring."

"They will be," Zuko assured the Earth King, "Make sure to send a hawk tonight to Kyoshi telling your men to set sail to Omashu."

"Already sent," Haru said, "and I'd appreciate it if you refrain from telling me how to run my Kingdom."

Zuko glared at him, but let it slide after a disapproving look from Aang.

"And what about the Southern Water Tribe?" Hakoda asked Aang, "Where do you want us?"

Aang and the others stared at the map, trying to figure out where the Water Tribe warriors should be stationed. Sokka was the first to come up with an idea and snapped his fingers to get everyone's attention.

"I got it!" Sokka exclaimed.

"What?" Zuko looked up at him.

Sokka pointed at the map near Whale Tail Island.

"What we can do is have our boats patrol around that chain of islands between the Fire Nation and Kyoshi," Sokka explained.

Hakoda stared at the map and frowned, "That's a large stretch of sea. If a large enough Separatist fleet comes through there we wouldn't be able to stop them with our small forces."

"No, but we can do like you did in Chameleon Bay," Sokka suggested.

Hakoda raised an eyebrow.

"Set up traps there like mines and nets and stuff," Sokka continued, "We might not be able to stop them completely, but we can stall them long enough to get word out to the Fire Navy to come and finish the job."

"Sounds like a plan," Hakoda nodded.

"Do you guys have enough men?" Zuko asked Hakoda.

Hakoda nodded, "More than enough. Our problem is we only have a dozen ships."

"Then I'll send another dozen of our ships to you for support," Zuko offered, "I'll instruct them to follow your orders. You're free to do with them as you wish."

Hakoda nodded, "Thank you, Fire Lord. What we could do is use our ships as scouts due to their small size and stealth, while your ships hide out in the coves of the islands. There, they'll wait for our signal when we've spotted one and attack."

"Sounds good," Sokka yawned and stretched, "Ok, I think that's good for tonight. Too much talking for one day."

"I wasn't aware there _was _such a thing with you," Katara teased.

"Ha, ha," Sokka laughed sarcastically.

The door burst opened and Toph walked unworriedly into the tower room.

"Calling it quits so soon, Snoozles?" she teased.

"How did you hear from out there?" Sokka asked incredulously.

"You forget one of my best earth bending techniques," Toph stated.

Sokka raised an eyebrow, "You heard me through metal bending?"

She punched him in the arm, "No, doofus. Sound creates vibrations. I can pick up the vibrations through earth bending."

Sokka rubbed his shoulder, "You must be losing your touch. Your punches aren't as hard as they used to be."

She rose up her fist again to show how hard she can really his and Sokka flinched and covered his face.

"Ok, ok," he protested, "I'm leaving."

She lowered her fist and gathered his papers off the table, muttering something under his breath about the bending and magic, and his disdain for them. He took Suki by the hand and they walked out the doors to their chambers.

"Speaking of my technique," Toph started, "it seems one of my students was misusing said technique I taught her."

"Lin?" Haru asked, "How? When?"

"Today during the meeting. I sensed her using her earth bending. I assume she was eavesdropping and telling the other kids."

Aang turned to her, "So the kids know, now?"

Toph nodded, "Unfortunately, Twinkle Toes."

"How are they taking it?" Katara asked.

"Pretty well for a bunch of rug rats," she shrugged, "They have some disagreements, but overall, they seem wise beyond their years. Reminds me of ourselves when we were that age."

Aang smirked, "That wasn't too long ago."

"Anyway," Zuko stated, "we need to be ready. The sooner we end this, the better."

The others nodded in agreement and Aang stood up.

"Great, now let's all get some sleep," Aang offered, "We should meet back here first thing in the morning."

Everyone rose and gathered their things. In a matter of minutes everyone was gone save for Aang and Katara. Aang set his hands on the table and stared quietly at the map. Three days. That's all he had until a new war could break out. He sighed thinking just how fragile the whole situation was.

Katara looked at him softly and walked up behind him, putting her hand on his shoulder and massaging it gently. She leaned in close and kissed him on the cheek.

"You did great today," she smiled.

"I don't feel like it," Aang replied quietly, "I mean, I'm the Avatar, right? I should be able to unite the world for a common good, but I couldn't even do that."

"Aang, you can't expect the whole world to do what you want."

"Even the new Air Nomads wouldn't help me!" Aang half shouted, "How sorry is that? That I couldn't even get my own people to join me."

"It's not your fault," Katara said, "Teo and the rest of the Air Nation has a small enough population as it is. And with no benders-,"

"I know there's no air benders!" Aang yelled and slapped the map aside, "And why shouldn't there be? Sozin's War is long over. The Temples are being repopulated. And I'm the father of two kids. You would think one of them would be an air bender!"

"Is that what's bothering you?" Katara raised an eyebrow, "You wished one of our kids was an air bender?"

Aang sighed, "Yes and no. Believe me; I'm proud that they're water benders. Prouder than ever. But a part of me wishes that we could've had an air bending child so I can pass on our traditions."

"I'm sorry, Aang, but I can't punch out an air bender on command, alright?" Katara shouted.

"I'm not asking you that," Aang shouted back, "I'm talking about restoring balance to the world. If the air benders are gone for good, then the world would be lost and the Avatar cycle broken for good. What's going to happen when I'm gone and the next Avatar has to learn air bending?"

Katara took his hands, "We'll fix that later. Right now we need to stay focused on resolving this conflict so others don't die. Give it time; it's only been thirteen years."

Aang sighed and looked away, "You're right. I just want you to understand how truly frustrating this is for me."

"I know," she pulled him into a hug, which he returned and held her close, "I know."

**Kyoshi Island.**

An Earth Kingdom legionnaire stumbles across the town square. Behind him were thousands of Separatist forces butchering his comrades. They were ambushed in the middle of the night. No one saw it coming. Their barracks were torched and the soldiers were killed as they tried to run out of the burning buildings. He was lucky. He saw what was happening to the others and cut a small hole in the side of the barrack and crawled his way to safety. But they would soon be on his trail. He had to reach the messenger tower and warn the King.

The unmistakable sound of a bow string being snapped is heard from behind. He doesn't see it but he does feel it, a sharp pain piercing his back. He yelped and fell to the ground before Avatar Kyoshi's statue with an arrow sticking out of his back. He turned and saw five figures walking towards him. Two were obviously pirates, but the other three, a woman and two men with white, painted faces, were unrecognizable. They stop a few yards in front of him.

"Trying to warn the King of our attack?" the woman spoke in a venomous tone.

She took a step forward into the moonlight. The frightened Legionnaire's eyes widened as he recognized who it was: Azula, only with her face paler than the moon and lips redder than blood.

Azula smirked at the cowering soldier.

"You look nervous," she noted, "you have no reason to fear me."

"I- I don't?" he asked nervously.

Azula shook her head, "I could give you eternal life, immortality."

"You'll do that for me?!"

"I'm not selfish," she shrugged, "There's only one thing you must do."

"What?"

Azula flicked her wrist quickly and pointed tow of her fingers towards the terrified soldier. In an instant, lightning shot out of her fingers and pierced the man's heart. He screamed, but was in pain for but an instant and died within a second after the strike.

"Die," she said to the corpse.

She then looked up at the towering statue of Kyoshi and narrowed her eyes. She threw her fist towards it and sent a stream of blue fire to the statue's head. The statue instantly combusted as the flames quickly made their way to the bottom of it, consuming it in fire. Azula smirked satisfyingly and looked up as a messenger hawk landed on a post next to the building. She narrowed her eyes and walked over to the hawk and removed the letter strapped to its back. She opened it and read over the letter, then smirked as she finished.

"Looks as if these men were to be the bold liberators of Omashu," she said to no one in particular.

She looked around at the burning buildings around them and the screaming soldiers begging for death which her men willingly granted.

"It appears that they have better things to do at the moment," she noted venomously.

Azula dropped the letter on the ground and walked over to the fallen Legionnaire. She pulled a dagger out of her boot and grabbed the dead man's hand. She pulled up a finger with a small gold ring with the symbol of the Earth Kingdom on it. In one swift motion she slices the blade over his finger and cuts it off with the ring. The pirates turn away, appalled by her actions, but the Face Stealers smile wickedly as she puts the bloody finger in the letter holder on the hawk's back and closes it up. She lets the bird hop up on her arm and she throws it up in the air to fly back to the Southern Air Temple.

"My lady?!" the captain of the pirates, Bial, exclaimed, "What are you doing?! They'll know we're here!"

"Exactly."

"They'll send their armies to squash us!"

"Doubt it," she replied coolly, "After losing five hundred men, I doubt the Earth King will risk losing anymore forces here."

Captain Bial looked doubtful, but did not cross her, "So what are our orders?

"Remain on the island," she started coldly, "Round up the men and the remaining Kyoshi warriors. Kill the rest. Can you handle that?"

The captain bowed, "Yes, my lady."

She turned to the Face Stealers, "You two, with me. Our next stop…, the Boiling Rock."

She walked back towards the boats followed by the Face Stealers as the final pieces left over of Kyoshi's statue collapsed and fell into a pile of glowing embers.

**A/N: I know, lots of lame exposition in these last few chapters, but things will start to pick up in the next few chapters. **


	10. Past and Present

**Chapter 10**

**Past and Present**

**Southern Air Temple Courtyard.**

A burst of flame shot through the air then dissipated. Rozin retracts his fist then front kicks, creating another burst of flame. Iroh looked on and nodded.

"Faster!" Iroh instructed, "A fire bender needs to be quick and fast."

Rozin jumps and makes a spinning round kick, leaving a trail of flame from his foot.

"Fast is good, but you need to be powerful too. Think like a dragon."

Rozin roared and made a quick chop through the air, spewing out some flames, then made two quick jabs with his fists.

"Roar!"

He planted his feet square on the ground, spread his arms out, and lifted his head up to roar. Flames shot out of his mouth and the palms of his hands.

Iroh smiled and nodded approvingly.

"Very good, Prince Rozin," Iroh walked over and patted him on his sweaty back, "You proudly carry the traits of our family. Your father's perseverance, your grandfather's and aunt's strength and talent, and the potential for wisdom far greater than my own. You should be proud."

Rozin beamed, "Thank you, Uncle."

"Your father taught you well."

"Didn't you teach him?" Rozin asked.

Iroh nodded, "I did. When he was your age. But the master alone doesn't make the student a master as well. It's the life experiences and how you choose to use your training that make you a master. Look at your father. I taught him the basics, but it was his journey through trial and tribulations, that made him the man he is today."

"But you _did _teach him how to redirect lighting," Rozin reminded him.

"Yep," Iroh beamed proudly, "that one is all mine."

"Any chance you could teach me?" Rozin asked hopefully.

Iroh chuckled slightly, "When you're older, I promise."

"Come on, Kya, I know you can do better than that," Pakku said from the other side of the courtyard.

Iroh and Rozin looked over in that direction and saw Pakku standing with his arms crossed as Kya struggled to control a stream of water. Rozin couldn't help but chuckle as she struggled to form and control a sphere of the water she was bending. Iroh glanced over at him and smirked.

"Prince Rozin," Iroh barked causing him to straiten up, "how would you like to learn the basics of redirecting lightning?"

"I totally would!" Rozin smiled excitedly.

Iroh nodded, "Then follow me."

Iroh walked across the courtyard towards Pakku and Kya. Rozin was puzzled, but followed anyway.

**Eastern Tower.**

Aang, Zuko, Sokka, Hakoda, and Haru sat in the tower and looked down at the map.

"I received word earlier that my forces will reach Hot Spring Island by noon tomorrow," Zuko announced.

"And the ships you're sending down to the Southern Islands?" Hakoda asked.

"When they reach Hot Spring, the fleet currently stationed there will be transferred to your command."

"Great, so in two days?" Hakoda asked him.

Zuko nodded.

"Aren't we planning the offensive in two days?" Sokka asked.

"Yes," Zuko said, "Which means that your troops need to start moving today, Haru."

"I've already sent a hawk last night," Haru replied, "They should be leaving the island right now."

The doors opened and Suki, Katara, Toph, Mai, and Ty Lee walked in. The men all stood up and greeted the women.

"The soldiers in Kyoshi just left this morning," Sokka put his arm around his wife's waist and planted a small kiss on her forehead.

"Are the Kyoshi warriors with them?" Suki asked Haru.

"I assume so," he shrugged, "We have to wait for the hawk to return."

As if on cue a messenger hawk flew through the open window and landed onto the table, standing right on top of the drawing of Ba Sing Se. The bird squawked and defecated on the map. Sokka was the first to react and pointed a finger angrily at the bird.

"No!" he shouted at the bird, "Bad Hawkey. We don't crap on important, strategic maps, ok?"

Hawkey just cocked its head to the left and bit Sokka's pointed finger.

"Ow!" Sokka yelped and pulled his hand back, "Bad, Hawkey. No biting!"

Everyone else in the room, including Sokka's wife and father, rolled their eyes at his apparent immaturity.

"You haven't changed much have you, son?" Hakoda raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, Dad, but boys like him never grow up," Suki shrugged.

"I guess not," Hakoda agreed, smirking slightly.

"Ok, ok!" Sokka threw his arms up in defense, "I'm immature, I get it. Any other bad traits you want to point out?"

"You snore," Suki said.

"Sarcastic," Katara said

"Clumsy," Aang added.

"You're loud," Mai said.

"Annoying," Zuko said.

"Tell bad jokes," Toph added.

"Make us eat blubbered seal jerky," Jian said from the doorway.

Sokka just stood there flabbergasted with his jaw hanging open. First he turned to his daughter.

"Get out of here!" he cried and pointed down the hall.

Jian threw her hands up in defeat and walked away.

Sokka turned back to his so called friends and family.

"It was a rhetorical question!" he shouted, "You weren't supposed to answer!"

"It's funnier this way," Toph shrugged.

Suki reached over and playfully tousled his hair, "Aw, we were just kidding, baby."

Sokka grabbed her and moved it from his head.

"Not now, woman."

Suki huffed, "You aren't _trying _to piss me off, are you?"

Sokka threw his hands up and laughed nervously, "No, no. We're cool."

Zuko rolled his eyes and turned to Haru, "What does the note say?"

Haru opened up the letter holder and poured out the contents. Instead of a parchment like he expected, he got a bloody index finger with a small silver ring on it.

"Gods!" he cursed and dropped it on the table.

Everyone stared at the finger wide eyed, except for Toph.

"What?!" she asked, "What's going on?!"

"Trust me," Aang reassured her, "you don't want to know."

Zuko pulled out a handkerchief out of his pocket and picked up the bloody finger to examine it. Just a standard right index finger with an Earth Kingdom Legion service ring left on it.

"What does it mean?" Katara wondered out loud.

"It means that Kyoshi Island was under attack," Zuko said, "They were ambushed last night."

"How can that be?" Ty Lee exclaimed as she comforted the queasy Haru, "Didn't we have, like, 500 troops there?"

"Yeah, you did," Zuko replied.

"What about the other Kyoshi Warriors?!" Suki shouted.

Zuko looked in the letter holder and frowned; nothing there but blood. He blinked and looked blankly straight ahead as an epiphany hit him. He snapped his head at Haru.

"What did the letter say?" Zuko asked him.

"Uh, nothing," Haru answered, "I mean, there was the order telling them to go… to Omashu."

Everyone in the room sighed or cursed under their breaths.

"Did you mention anything about the Fire Nation?" Zuko asked.

"No," Haru said firmly, "That I can be sure of."

"Do you think we expect the same thing at Hot Spring Island?" Aang asked.

"Most likely, knowing Azula," Zuko answered.

"We still don't know she's involved in this," Aang said.

"You can't be that naïve," Zuko said, "Think about it: Azula escapes from prison, purposefully throws us off the trail, and now the Separatists reveal themselves and practically declare war on us."

"Zuko, not everything bad that happens can be blamed on Azula," Aang replied, "Remember, she's no longer the Fire Nation princess. So until we have concrete proof that she's involved, we'll assume otherwise."

"Fine!" Zuko snapped, "But don't come crying to me when you realize I'm right."

"Ok guys, stop," Sokka held up his hand, "We need to figure out what we're going to do."

"I know what I'm going to do," Suki stated, "I'm going to go to Kyoshi Island and take my home back from those Separatists."

Sokka raised an eyebrow, "Alone?"

She looked at him incredulously, "You won't go?!"

"Well, I…"

"Sokka that's our home!" Suki shouted, "I grew up there and I'll be damned if I let it fall to those savage's hands. If I have to go alone, I will."

And with that she stormed out.

"Suki, wait!" Sokka called to her, but she left the room.

He groaned and ran off after her.

**Sokka and Suki. Halls**

Suki stormed down the hall on the way to her room. Behind her she can hear Sokka running after her.

"Suki, wait!"

He caught up with her and grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Wait," he said.

"Let go!"

"Not until you settle down," Sokka said, "You can't go after these guys by yourself."

"Well, if you're not going to help me, then I have no choice," she pulled her arm free.

"Suki."

She stopped, but didn't turn around.

"I'll go with you."

She turned around, "Really?"

Sokka nodded, "But, remember, we're not going there to liberate the island."

"And why not?" she raised her eyebrow.

"I don't think Haru can afford to spread his forces thin," Sokka reasoned.

"So why go there at all?" Suki asked.

Sokka sighed, "Evacuate the people."

"That's it?!" Suki exclaimed, "Just cut our losses and move on?"

"We have to think in the long term," Sokka reasoned, "The more people we save, the better chances we have at ending the war."

Suki sighed and contemplated what he said. She knew that Haru would never authorize the moving of troops to Kyoshi. The island never really considered itself part of the Earth Kingdom, and the Earth King only recognized them when they were a matter of importance to the rest of the kingdom, like their once strategic location in the West. Their isolationism has damned them, it seemed to her.

She looked back up at Sokka, "I understand."

Sokka pulled her into an embrace and held her protectively as she closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest.

**Courtyard**

A thin, blue stream of water floats through the air like a gently flowing ribbon in the wind as Kya concentrates on keeping control of it. She moves and sways her arms gently in tune with the water, however she is moving more rigidly than fluidly. Pakku, stands off to the side and takes not of this.

"Loosen up," he instructed sternly, "You need to be as fluid as the water you bend."

"I'm trying," Kya said as she gritted her teeth trying to keep control of the water.

Iroh and Rozin walked up and stood next to Pakku who looked over at Iroh and nodded. Iroh nodded back and the three of them turned their gaze onto Kya. Rozin especially was really focused on her. The only other time he's seen water bending was the few times with Kya, and she was fighting him at the time. However, this was the first time he's ever actively watched her. In fact, he was entranced by her graceful movements that was unparalleled to anything he's seen before.

"Don't force the water," Pakku barked at her, "Guide it, do not control it."

"I'm trying," Kya repeated.

"Don't try, do."

She gritted her teeth and focused on bending the water. She spread her arms and extended the stream of water, then brought her arms together and collapsed the stream into a small sphere. Kya then shifted her body to the left and rose up her left arm, carrying the water up with her and lifting it high over her head. It was then that she glanced over her shoulder and noticed Rozin watching her intensely. She gasped and lost her concentration on the water which crashed down on her head, drenching her.

Pakku sighed and covered his forehead, but Rozin, however, found the situation hilarious and busted into laughter. Kya turned and glared at him.

"Something funny, Rozy?" she asked warningly.

"Yeah, actually," he wiped a tear from his eye, "Amazing how the daughter of the Avatar can't even master bending a little bit of water."

Kya lowered her eyebrows and growled at Rozin, gathering some of the water from a pond behind her.

"Spitting image of her mother, hm?" Pakku whispered to Iroh who nodded and looked at his grand-nephew.

Rozin squared his footing and rose his fists up to strike, staring her down with an amused smirk on his face.

"And the new prince measures up to the old one," Iroh whispered back to Pakku, taking note on Rozin's demeanor.

Pakku nodded and turned to the kids holding up his hands, "Now kids, let's keep this civil."

"Yes," Iroh agreed, "how about a friendly sparring match between you two?"

"What?!" Kya turned to Iroh.

"Huh?!" Rozin did the same.

"I'm not following," Pakku said to him.

"It's simple, really," Iroh insisted, "you're student verses mine. Winner gets to pick the tea for the next White Lotus meeting."

Pakku scratched his beard and mulled over the wager for a second. He then nodded and shook Iroh's hand.

"You're on."

**Eastern Tower.**

Sokka and Suki walked back in the room and sat back down at the table. Everyone in the room looked at them.

"So, what's going on?" Aang asked.

"We're going to Kyoshi Island," Suki announced.

"Liberation?" Zuko asked.

Suki shook her head.

"No, rescue mission," Sokka clarified, "We're going to take a transport ship back tonight and go back to Kyoshi to rescue as many survivors as we can."

"Count me in," Toph announced.

Haru shook his head, "No, Toph, we need you here as a politician first."

"Politician? Really?! You got to be joking," Toph stated firmly, "I'm a far better bender than politician and I refuse to let two of my closest friends go this alone."

Haru sighed, knowing there was no way to change her stubborn mind, "Alright, fine. Just this one mission. You're too important to the kingdom to be going around and risking your life."

"I can handle myself, thank you."

A messenger hawk screeched and flew in and landed on the table.

"More good news?" Mai asked sarcastically as Zuko pulled the letter of the hawk.

He opened it and read it over, "Oh no."

"What?" Aang asked.

Zuko put the paper down and looked at the others, "Looks as if something similar has happened in the Fire Nation."

"Not Hot Spring Island," Katara said fearfully.

Zuko shook his head, "No, but it appears the Boiling Rock was attacked and taken over by Governor Zhou and the Combustion Clan last night."

"The Combustion Clan?" Sokka raised an eyebrow.

"You guys should know of them," Zuko noted, "I did send one of their members after you as an assassin years ago."

"Oh, Combustion Man," Sokka remembered, "Ironic."

"Guess they couldn't figure out a better name either," Zuko shrugged.

"So why attack the Boiling Rock?" Katara wondered out loud.

"We imprisoned several convicted Separatists and sent them there," Zuko said, "My guess is that Zhou led them there to set them free."

"Any mention of Azula in that letter?" Toph asked.

Zuko picked it up and re-read it. He shook his head quietly.

"Then I guess that proves she's not involved," Katara said.

"I'm still not convinced."

"So what are we going to do?" Katara asked and looked to everyone in the room.

**The Courtyard. **

Rozin and Kya stood in the courtyard facing each other in sparring stance as Iroh and Pakku stood off to the side as spectators.

"Let's have a nice, clean, duel," Iroh said to the two kids.

Rozin and Kya stared each other down, each with a confident, yet cocky, smirk on their faces.

"Go!" Iroh shouted.

Kya was the first to act and quickly bended a stream of water out of the pond behind her and sent it full force at Rozin, knocking him back several feet.

Pakku smirked, "I want black tea."

"Pah!" Iroh's face scrunched up in disgust, "And it's not over, yet."

Kya ran up and bended a wave of water from the pond, ready to send it crashing down on Rozin.

Rozin reacted quickly and kicked a flame at her feet, then jumped up to punch a few fire balls at her. Kya lost her balance trying to avoid the first attack and lost control over most of the water. Fortunately she managed to bring it up and absorb the fire balls. Rozin continued on the offensive and sent a stream of fire at her. She managed to absorb most of the attack, but the force of it knocked her back.

Iroh smirked, "Make that ginseng," then yelled to Rozin, "Come on, Rozin!"

Rozin jumped and made a spinning kick, sending three ribbons of flames at her. Kya reacted and bent a dome of water around which deflected the fire, then pushed the water at Rozin, drenching him and pushing him back against a wall. She then motioned her wrists and froze the water around him, trapping him.

"Ha, ha," Pakku laughed, "Looks like this is over."

Rozin took a deep breath and exhaled a breath of fire from his mouth, melting the ice and freeing him. He rushed up towards Kya as she did the same. She dodged a small fire ball and collected some water in her hands. Rozin bent some fire daggers from his fists and rushed up to her. They swung at each other wildly, neither able to land a clean hit. He tried to throw her off with a crescent kick, but she bent a stream of water at his chest and pushed him off balance. He counter attacked by conjuring a stream of fire from his open palm and aimed right for her. She was caught off guard and managed to deflect it at the last second. They stood six feet from each other, panting and out of breath from pure exhaustion.

Rozin broke the brief cease fire and punched a fire ball at her, only to be blocked by another blast of fire from his left. Kya quickly took advantage of this and went to send a stream of water at him, but the water in her hands froze and became ice out of nowhere. She stared at her hands, puzzled.

"Huh?" she wondered.

"This fight is over!" Katara exclaimed from several feet away with Zuko standing right next to her.

Both parents walked up to their kids and looked at them sternly.

"I thought we said no more fighting!" Zuko shouted.

"Oh, lighten up, Zuko," Iroh approached him, "It was just a friendly duel."

"I specifically told him not to fight her anymore," he turned to his uncle, "And you're not helping!"

"We want our kids to get along," Katara said, "not beat the living hell out of each other."

"I'm sorry, Mom," Kya scratched her head, "Master Pakku made us."

"Pakku!"

"Oh, Katara, I would never do such a thing," Pakku defended.

Katara looked at her daughter, then back at her old master, "Why do I get the feeling she's right?"

"Probably because you two are famous for your wagers involving tea," Zuko motioned at Iroh and Pakku.

"Nephew, I was only training Rozin to be a better fighter," Iroh said.

"He _is _a good fighter."

"I thought it would be interesting to see him and Kya spar."

"Stop encouraging him!" Zuko snapped then looked at his son, "We need to talk."

Rozin nodded and lowered his eyes, fearing he was in trouble as Zuko put his hand on his son's back and lead him away.

Katara looked at her daughter, "Come with me."

Kya nodded and followed her mother.

**Cliffside. **

Zuko walked with his son along the edge of the cliffs of the Air Temple. Rozin looked around nervously.

"Uh, Dad," he asked cautiously, "if you're going to chew me out, may I suggest going someplace that doesn't have sheer drops?"

Zuko turned and frowned at his son and Rozin flinched.

"Or this," Rozin added, "this works."

Zuko sighed and rolled his eyes, "You're not in trouble."

"I'm not?!" he asked, "Even for fighting?"

"Well, not exactly. I'm sure your great uncle had a part to play in influencing you."

"I guess I shouldn't listen to him as much," Rozin lamented.

"Don't do that," Zuko said, "Uncle's very influential, yes. In fact, his influence was what helped put me on the right path. His wisdom should be eagerly accepted. Just, try and realize that he likes to joke around, too."

Rozin chuckled, "I've noticed." He paused, "So why am I here?"

**Waterfall. **

Katara sat with her daughter next to a small waterfall on the other side of the Air Temple. It's serenity and seclusion made it both hers and her daughter's favorite place of their home.

"So I'm not in trouble?" Kya asked her mom.

"No, not really," Katara answered, "I wanted to talk to you about what's been going on."

"So what's up?"

"Things are getting a little out of hand in the world," Katara started, "Kyoshi Island is under attack and many people were killed. You're aunt, uncle, and Toph decided to go there to rescue the survivors, and I've decided to go along."

**Cliffside. **

"You're going to the Boiling Rock?!" Rozin exclaimed.

Zuko nodded, "Yes. Me and the Avatar decided to go and take back the prison, and hopefully put an end to this conflict."

"Can't you just send some special forces there, or something?"

"We need to protect Hot Spring Island, and I can't spare any troops," Zuko said, "Besides, me and Aang have been through enough fights that we make the best team working alone."

Rozin sighed, "So what does this have to do with me?"

Zuko replied, "You, and the other kids, are going to be staying in Ba Sing Se for the next couple weeks."

**Waterfall.**

"Ba Sing Se!" Kya exclaimed.

"Just for a few weeks," Katara added, "We need a place for you kids to stay while we go take care of things."

"Why not here?" Kya suggested, "Why not even the Fire Palace, even? Some place I know."

"We want you kids to be safe," Katara said, "The Fire Palace is too close to the conflict, and we can't leave you here alone for that long."

"But I've never even been to Ba Sing Se!"

"All the more reason to go. I've heard it's improved greatly since I've been there. Try and keep an open mind about this, Ky."

"I don't want to!" Kya shouted, "I am tired of you and Dad treating us like sheep and moving us all over the world!"

**Cliffside. **

"But I don't want to go to Ba Sing Se!" Rozin shouted, "You said yourself that place was a prison."

"Yeah, and I didn't have much of a choice, just like you," Zuko said.

"Why do you have to go?" Rozin shouted, "For the past couple years, even here, I have barely even seen you. You promised you would teach me fire bending, but you haven't. I had to learn a little bit from Iroh, and the rest on my own."

"Is that what you think?" Zuko asked, "That I haven't been around?"

Rozin sighed, "Yes."

"I have a very important job-" Zuko started.

"Yes, and I'm your son!" Rozin shouted and cut him off, "Shouldn't you be there to teach me and raise me to someday take over that important job! I'm thirteen years old and I only see my father two times a week. Sometimes, not even that."

Zuko was silent as he his son sat down with a huff. He had no idea his son felt this way, and could only assume he's been letting this Separatist conflict keep him away from the most important thing in the world to him.

**Waterfall.**

"What are you talking about?" Katara asked.

"First, it was the South Pole," Kya started, "Then, Omashu. Then, the North Pole. Then, the Western Air Temple. And then, the Southern Air Temple. You and Dad moved us all over the world without giving us any thought."

"You hate that we've included you two in our travels?" Katara asked, "I'm sorry, but when I was your age, and even older, I lived my whole life in the South Pole. If Aang hadn't shown up I probably would've still been living there! Consider yourself lucky that you were able to travel the world at such a young age."

"Yeah, sure," Kya replied sarcastically, "I traveled the world, but you moved us to some of the most remote places. Do you know how hard it is to not have any friends and the only person you can play with is a six year old brother?"

Katara was silent for a second, "Yes, I do. Unfortunately, I haven't really thought about it like that. I know it's not fair to a girl your age to live like this, but believe me, we did it for your protection. Me and your father wanted you two to grow up safe and secure, away from the dangers of the world."

Katara paused for a second, "What do you say to this: once this conflict is over, I'll let you visit Uncle Sokka and Aunt Suki in Kyoshi for the summer. Or, Zuko's family? That way you can experience the world with your friends."

Kya perked up, "I guess that would be ok."

"And at least in Ba Sing Se you'll have your friends," Katara reassured, "We've agreed to have Zuko's and Sokka's kids there, too."

"Ok, it doesn't sound half bad now."

"That's my girl," Katara reached down and kissed her daughter on the cheek.

"Mom…" she complained and tried to wipe the kiss off her cheek, "stop embarrassing me!"

Katara had to snicker at this, "Just try and behave. And no fighting with Rozin!"

Kya laughed slightly, "No promises."

Katara stood up and began to walk back to the Temple, "You coming?"

Kya shook her head, "I think I'll sit out here for a little while."

Her mother nodded, "Ok, dinner will be ready in an hour. Bye."

"Bye," Kya said quietly as her mother walked off.

**Cliffside. **

Zuko looked sadly at his son, "I'm sorry."

"What?" Rozin looked up.

"I don't mean to be ignoring you or your brother," Zuko said, "You guys and your mother are my world. The reason I keep going on and trying to fix the things wrong in our world so that when you get older, and have a family of your own, it will be a better place."

Rozin stood up, "I know why you do it, and believe me, I'm glad you're trying to help fix the world. And I shouldn't be so selfish-"

"You're not," Zuko bent down at eye level with his son, "You deserve to see more of your father. Let me tell you a story. When I first found out your mother was pregnant with you, I was scared beyond all belief."

Rozin raised an eyebrow, "You were scared?! But you're never scared."

"I try not to be, but the fact that I was going to be a father scared the hell out of me," Zuko looked off as he reminisced, "I was scared that I would turn into my father. My father, who treated me worse than scum and tried to steer me in the wrong direction in life. I didn't want that for you. I wanted you to look at me as I look at my uncle. I wanted to be the best father in the world for you, but I was scared I would screw it up. I guess I was right."

"No, Dad, you're wrong," Rozin reassured, "You are the best father in the world. When you're here, you're the best father ever. I just wish I could see more of you."

Zuko nodded in understanding. He thought for a second, then looked back at his son with a smirk.

"Did I ever tell you how I met the Fire Bending Masters?" Zuko asked.

"The Dragons?" Rozin raised his eyebrow, "Yeah, like a million times."

"How about, when this thing is over, I take you to the Sun Warrior ruins and learn from the masters?" Zuko said with a smirk.

Rozin's eye's brightened, "That would be the greatest thing ever!" He pulled his father in a big hug which Zuko returned, "Thanks, Dad."

"Ack!" Zuko croaked, "Rozin, you're chocking me!"

Rozin quickly let go of Zuko and scratched the back of his head nervously, "He, he. Sorry, Dad. Guess I don't know my own strength."

"Yeah, yeah," Zuko playfully rustled his son's hair, "Just know, I could still take you."

"Yeah, now," Rozin smirked, "In a couple of years, then we'll see."

Both father and son laughed and Zuko stood up.

"Come on," Zuko motioned forward, "Let's get ready for supper."

Rozin nodded, "I'll be there in a few."

Zuko nodded and walked off, leaving his son to his thoughts; something he valued a lot at that age.

**Courtyard. **

Rozin sat at the edge of the pond where he had been fighting Kya only an hour earlier. He picked up a small flat stone and skipped it across the still water. Kya saw him and walked over to sit next to him.

"Hey," she greeted.

He glanced up and looked back down at the water as if it were far more interesting.

"Hey," he said back and skipped another stone.

She sat down and dipped her feet in the cool water.

"So, I take it your father is sending you to Ba Sing Se, too hm?" she said, trying to make conversation.

"Yep."

"Are you excited?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Sounds like you're not," he noted and skipped another stone.

"Got that right," she frowned.

"You ever been there?"

"No, but my parents have."

"I have," Rozin said, "A few times to visit my great uncle."

"What's it like?" she asked.

Rozin shrugged, "It's ok. I didn't see much. I just stuck around his tea shop. We'll go when we get there most likely."

"Yeah, well, my mom said we'd be staying in the Earth King's palace while we're there," she sighed, "Truth be told, I'm getting sick of palaces."

Rozin chuckled a little, "Yeah, try living in one your whole life. It can get old fast. Why do you think me and Zek use those secret passages."

"Good point," she said and paused for a few seconds, "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Why did you want to fight me?" she asked, interested.

Rozin shrugged, "I don't know, seemed like a way to pass the time, I guess."

Kya rolled her eyes, "Come on, I know you better than that."

Rozin sighed, "Alright, fine. Iroh said he learned how do redirect lighting from watching the water benders. I figured if I watch you, I might learn something."

"Really?" she asked, "You could've picked a better water bender. According to Master Pakku, I'm not good enough to fight a sea sponge."

"Well, clearly you're able to fight the Fire Prince," Rozin smirked.

"True," she looked out at the sunset.

Then an epiphany hit her.

"Hey, I got an idea," she stated, "you want to learn lighting redirection, right?"

"Yeah…"

"And I want to improve my water bending," she continued.

"Where are you going with this?"

"I could teach you how to water bend!" she said excitedly.

"Um, I don't know if you've noticed but I'm not exactly a water bender," he said, "In fact I'm kind of the opposite."

Kya rolled her eyes, "I hadn't noticed. But I can teach you some of the movements."

Rozin scratched his chin as he contemplated it, "I guess it couldn't hurt. My dad's always saying we should learn from other peoples and not just one."

"Exactly," she stood up, "now stand up. Your first lesson with Sifu Kya begins now."

Rozin smile and shook his head as he stood up, "Sifu Kya, eh? Has a nice ring to it."

"It does, doesn't it?"

"Maybe later I can teach you some fire bending moves," he suggested.

"Later. Today, we learn water bending," she said, then got in her stance, "Now, stand like this."

**Eastern Tower.**

Zuko and Katara looked out the window as they watched their two young benders having fun down in the courtyard.

"You seeing this, Zuko?" Katara asked, not taking her eyes off the kids.

Zuko nodded, "Yep."

"Thirteen years ago this would be unheard of. A fire bender and a water bender actually getting along and learning from each other."

"Well, except for us," Zuko remembered.

"Well, to be fair, we only started getting along during the last month of the war," she reminded him.

"True, but it still didn't change the fact we ended up on the same side," Zuko said, "Not to mention the both of us took down Azula."

She smirked and turned her gaze to him, "Correction, _I _took down Azula. You got shot and I had to heal your ass."

"Yeah, but if I didn't get in the way of her lightning, you wouldn't even be around right now," Zuko smirked back, "Team effort."

"Yeah," she replied sarcastically, "go Team Avatar."

She looked back down, "How much you want to bet those two will end up together."

Zuko couldn't help but laugh at that one, "That's about as ridiculous as me and you getting together."

"Urgh, don't remind me of that Ember Island play," she said.

"Don't worry, when I became Fire Lord I ordered them to correct a few discrepancies."

"Ah, yes," Katara remembered, "the first and noble act of Fire Lord Zuko. But in regards to the kids, say what you want, I still think they will end up together."

"You want to wager on that?" Zuko raised his good eyebrow.

"I'm not your uncle."

"They won't end up together!" Zuko exclaimed, "I mean, he's thirteen, she's ten."

"Soon to be eleven," Katara corrected, "And I'm saying down the road. You watch."

Zuko sighed, not wanting to get into a conversation about his kids' love lives, "Whatever."

**Cliffs**

As Kya taught Rozin how to water bend, a lone man with shaggy, brown hair watched them intensely through a telescope on the next mountain over. The then scanned the rest of the Air Temple catching sights of Zuko and Katara standing by the window, Aang meditating on a rock facing the sunset, Jian practicing her sword fighting with Zek, Shaola, and Dao nearby, and Sokka getting the boat ready at the base of the mountain. The man put down the telescope and chewed on the piece of barley sticking out of his mouth before turning away and walking back into the cave behind him.

**A/N: Well there you go. Just in time for father's day and the summer solstice. The big chapter ten. Action, fluff, RoKya, and a cliff hanger. Not to mention the longest chapter yet. What more can you ask for? Hope you all like. And review, please. Someone has to be reading this. **


	11. The Offensive

**Chapter 11**

**The Offensive**

**The Boiling Rock. **

The gondola traveled down towards the infamous Fire Nation prison located in the middle of a boiling lake. Governor Zhou walked towards the platform with an entourage of five Separatist soldiers. He frowned suspiciously as he watched the gondola land on the platform and the doors slide open. He watched as Azula walked out followed by two Face Stealers.

"Azula," Zhou greeted, "what brings you here?"

Azula stopped in front of him and surveyed her surroundings of the prison.

"I trust everything is on schedule?" she asked.

"Ahead," he corrected.

"I see," she noted, "Which is why you decided to jump the gun and take over the Boiling Rock before you were supposed to."

Zhou frowned, "You don't tell me what to do with my men."

"You're right," she said facetiously, "Such a shame that I came along and started to get the wheels rolling. If it wasn't for me, you'd still be holed up in that furnace of a base on the Crescent Island and conspiring, but not doing anything."

"We had a plan."

"And I have a better one," she retorted, "If I recall, your little group decided and elected to have me lead their campaign. They entrusted that power to me, and I will do with it as I wish, and the rest of you will follow my instructions."

"You may control the Order of Koh, and you may think you control the Separatists," he sneered, "but you do not tell me what to do with my men. I would be careful if I were you. You may think you're untouchable, but remember I still have a lot of influence and power with the them. So before you decide to cross me, just remember that I can destroy you. I'm just waiting for a reason."

He turned and walked with his entourage back into the prison.

"Enjoy your stay at my new facility," he said over his shoulder as he walked off.

Azula could only smirk at the ego and over confidence of the governor.

**Aang, Zuko. On Appa. **

Appa roared as he flew across the sky carrying Zuko and Aang to the Boiling Rock. Aang sat on his head holding the reigns as Zuko sat stretched on the giant saddle. Aang looked back at Zuko, who appeared to be bored with the whole journey.

"Just like old times, eh?" Aang shouted behind him.

Zuko glanced over and rolled his eyes, "Yeah, because we spent so many times flying together in the old days."

Aang sighed. As good a friends they were, he could never get over Zuko's lack of enthusiasm for small talk. He peered down at the ocean below them as Zuko crawled up to the front.

"So where are we?" Aang asked.

Zuko scanned the horizon. He nodded at a small island off to the south, "That, there, is Dragon Tooth Island."

"Meaning…" Aang replied.

"Meaning that we should be there in about two hours."

Aang sighed, "I knew this was going to be a while."

"You want me to take over?" Zuko offered.

Aang shook his head, "No, I'm good."

Zuko narrowed his eyes, "You sure? Katara told me that you didn't get much sleep last night."

Aang snapped his head back and glared jealously at Zuko, "What were you doing talking to Katara?"

Zuko was taken aback slightly and held up his hands in defense, "Whoa, we were just saying good bye, that's all. She told me to look out for you."

"Oh," Aang embarrassingly replied and turned back around.

Zuko, however, smirked and became interested in his little outburst, "What, you think I like Katara, or something?"

Aang turned around again, "What?! No."

"Aang, remember, I'm married to the woman of my dreams," Zuko said, "I'm pretty well spoken for. Plus, Katara's totally in love with you anyway."

Aang sighed, "Yeah, I know. I wasn't implying anything, I just get… jealous, or something."

Zuko shrugged, "Happens to the best of us. We're only human. I could tell you stories of how my jealousy got to out of hand before, and even got me in trouble with the misses."

"Really?" Aang asked facetiously, "You, jealous? Never."

"So why did you think something was between me and Katara anyway?" Zuko asked interested.

"Oh, no reason," Aang tried to dodge the question.

Zuko shook his head, "No, you were thinking something. Like we were having an affair, or something."

"Ok, look, it's nothing, alright?" Aang said, "I just got a little defensive because she's been talking to you a lot more lately."

"What?" Zuko raised his eyebrow, "You mean the half hour we spent yesterday talking about our kids?"

"You were talking about the kids?" Aang asked.

"Yeah, she didn't tell you?"

Aang shook his head, "No. We haven't been talking for the past couple days, ever since we got in a fight."

"Oh," Zuko realized, "Well, she has this crazy notion that Rozin and Kya are going to end up together, or something."

Aang chuckled, "What?! You got to be kidding."

Zuko shook his head, "I wish I was."

"Don't they kind of hate each other?"

"I think they've more or less made up," Zuko shrugged causing Aang to give him a worried look, "No, nothing like that. I meant that they're friends now."

"Oh," Aang realized, "Still, I can't imagine us being related."

"Well, we technically are," Zuko said, "My great- grandfather was Avatar Roku."

"Well then call me Grandpa Aang," he said in an old man voice and nudged his arm a couple times, "Eh, eh?"

Zuko glared at him, "No."

Aang shrugged and yawned, "Well, if you still want to fly, you can. I need to get some rest."

Zuko nodded and switched places with him. As he took the reigns, Aang fell flat on the saddle.

"Wake me when we get there," Aang said tiredly before passing out.

Zuko nodded and focused his eyes determinedly on the horizon.

**Katara, Sokka, Suki, Toph. Transport Ship. **

It was night by the time their ship arrived at Kyoshi Island. They dropped anchor and took a small boat out to the shore with only Katara, Sokka, Suki, and Toph on board.

"So enlighten me, Snoozles," Toph said as Sokka rowed the boat towards the shore, "why did you decide to leave behind the few volunteer soldiers we brought on the ship?"

"Because," Sokka grunted as he rowed, "we need this to go as smoothly and efficiently as possible. The less people we have, the easier it would be to go undetected. Besides, you three are pretty much the only people I can trust to have my back."

"I'm touched," Toph replied flatly.

Suki said nothing as she sat at the bow, clad in her warrior garb, with a look of fierce determination on her face. Katara glanced up at her.

"Hey, Suki, you alright?" she asked, concerned.

She nodded once, "Yes."

But Sokka wasn't convinced, "Suki, I need your head in the game so we can save as many as possible."

She turned around and glared dangerously at Sokka, "I know where my head is! All I care about is finding my sisters and killing as much of those bastards as I can."

Sokka was taken aback slightly by her comment, "Look, I know that we got to rescue them, but we also got to focus on the test of the town. The Kyoshi warriors' job is to protect their people from invaders, and if they did their job right, then we have nothing to worry about."

"And if they didn't?"

Sokka sighed, "Then we need to rescue as many as possible. We can't help the dead."

Suki closed her eyes in frustration, "No, but we can avenge them."

Sokka turned away and decided to say nothing, and Katara looked worriedly between the hardened Sokka and the vengeful Suki as their boat rowed towards the beach.

**Aang and Zuko. Appa. **

The sun had set and twilight has painted the sky an eerie color of cerulean. Aang still lied asleep on the saddle as Zuko held the reigns and guided Appa across the sky. Zuko took a whiff of the air and wrinkled his nose to the smell: sulfur. He looked around. They had to be close. Off in the distance he spotted a plume of steam rising up into the air: the Boiling Rock.

"Aang!" Zuko shouted behind him, "Wake up, we're almost there."

Aang groaned and rolled over the opposite direction, "Two more minutes, please?"

"Aang!" Zuko shouted even louder, "Wake up!"

He shot his eyes open and looked around confused, "Huh? What? What did I miss?!"

"We'll be there in a few minutes."

Aang nodded, now fully awake, "Right."

He grabbed his glider and crawled up to the front and sat next to Zuko as they approached the island.

"So what are we going to do with Appa when we get there?" he asked.

Zuko pointed off to a rocky enclave away from any noticeable dwellings, "Right there. He should be fine there, out of sight."

"And how are we getting down there?" Aang asked as they landed on the enclave.

"Don't know. Think of something," Zuko looked at him and then to the glider, "You think you could fly us down on that thing?"

Aang smirked, "Can you hold on tight?"

Zuko nodded and Aang opened up the glider.

"Then get on," Aang said.

Zuko stood up and grabbed hold of the wings before Aang kicked off and flew up towards the Boiling Rock. Appa roared as his way of saying goodbye and good luck.

**Katara, Sokka, Suki, and Toph. Kyoshi Island. **

The boat landed at the beach and Toph was the first one to jump off.

"Thank the gods for land," she said as she grabbed a fist full of sand.

"Toph, do you see anything?" Katara asked as she, Sokka, and Suki jumped off the boat.

"Do I ever?" she rolled her cataract eyes.

"I meant your earthbending," Katara narrowed her eyes.

"Let's get to solid land first," Toph said as she ran further into the island.

Sokka and Suki followed her, drawing their weapons as they ran, while Katara brought up the rear, bending some water, ready for anything. They ran forward off the beach and into the woods. Toph signaled for them to stop underneath a tall cedar.

"You hear something?" Sokka whispered.

Toph was silent for a second, concentrating on the vibrations running below her feet. She shook her head.

"No," she whispered back, "but I can only feel vibrations from about a hundred yards, or so. I'll try and feel a little further out."

She stomped the ground and smashed her fists into the earth. She waited as she interpreted what she felt.

"Nothing," she shook here head as she stood and dusted off her hands, "The coast is clear."

Sokka nodded, "Let's go."

Toph took the lead again and ran through the woods with the other three in tow. A few minutes later they passed through the clearing and into the village. Toph held up her hand to stop. They looked at her eagerly.

"This is weird," Toph observed.

"What?" Suki asked.

"There's… there's nobody here," Toph stated, confused.

The other three looked around at the dark, desolate buildings wondering where everyone was.

**Aang and Zuko. The Boiling Rock. **

Aang flew the glider down, with Zuko clinging to the top, to the foreboding prison surrounded by the boiling lake. No one spotted them for they flew through the steam cover. Zuko pointed down to a small rocky shore at the base of the prison.

"Land down there," he told him.

Aang nodded and directed the glider down to the shore, touching down and in one motion collapsing the glider. Both men looked up at the iron fortress that stood before them. Zuko turned to the left and walked along the side of the wall.

"Where are you going?" Aang hissed, keeping his voice low.

"Last time I was here there was a secret door about fifty yards down," Zuko replied.

"Wait," Aang ran over and stopped him, "You say this place is designed with firebenders in mind, right?"

Zuko nodded.

"So how far down do you think this wall goes?"

Zuko thought for a second, "I'm no architect, but I would imagine thirty feet or so. Why?"

Aang planted his feet square on the ground and earthbended a hole in the rock.

"What are you doing?" Zuko hissed, "Someone will hear!"

Aang turned to the boiling lake and squatted down before it. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before rising up and waterbending some steam up into the air, surrounding them completely and preventing anyone from seeing them.

"There," Aang turned and nodded at Zuko, "At least they can't see us."

Aang jumped in the hole and earthbended it deeper.

"Come on!" he called up to Zuko.

Zuko took a deep breath and jumped down in the hole with Aang, gods how he hated being underground. As soon as Zuko landed in the hole Aang reached up and earthbended the hole closed, shuttering them in darkness.

"What did you do that for?!"

"We don't want anyone discovering us."

"I can't see a thing!"

"You're a firebender, remember?"

Zuko groaned created some fire in the palm of his hand, illuminating their small hole. Aang raised his hands up and earthbended to make the tunnel longer. He repeated this several times as they made their way down and under the wall.

**Katara, Sokka, Suki, and Toph. Kyoshi Island.**

The three people with sight looked aimlessly around the surreal ghost town that was once Kyoshi.

"I don't get it," Katara scratched her head, "Where is everybody?"

"Check out all the buildings," Sokka said, "Maybe Toph missed something."

"Doubt it," Toph shrugged, "But go ahead and humor yourselves."

Katara, Suki, and Sokka split up and searched various buildings in the town. Sokka stopped at the first one: a general store. He kicked open the door, sword in hand, only to find nothing but shadows.

Katara got to the next one, which was an apothecary, and she waterbended a stream of water at it to break the door down. She recollected the water around her arm and readied for a possible attack, but none came.

Suki ran up quickly to the Kyoshi Warrior's dojo and jumped to kick the door down. As quickly as she kicked it down she rolled and jumped at the ready with her fans opened and ready for action. She looked around at the large, empty room she stood in.

"Hello?" she called out, but no one responded.

She turned to her right and walked around the room, cautiously checking her surroundings to make sure no one was sneaking up on her. She noticed some movement off to the left in the corner of her eye. Immediately she snapped into action and chucked one of her fans at it. It hit, bouncing harmlessly into the wall. She sighed realizing the shadow was just that, cast from an outside tree by the nearly full moon in the sky.

She walked over and bent over to pick up her fan. As she did a shuriken was thrown into the wall. She snapped back up and turned around with both fans in hand. Just then, two Face Stealers jumped down from the rafters, glaring evilly at her.

"Looks like we forgot one," one of them sneered, "No matter. Better late than never."

Outside, Toph gasped as she sensed what was happening in the dojo, then ran off towards it.

"Where are the other Kyoshi Warriors?" Suki demanded.

"Oh, we'll take you to them," he smirked and threw another shuriken at her.

She instinctively ducked and rolled forward, throwing her fan at him. The first Face Stealer was hit square in the face and went down instantly. She then squared her footing and got in a defensive stance.

"You want me?" she taunted the second one, "Then come and get me."

The second Face Stealer smirked and pulled a blow gun out of his robes, "Ok."

Suki rushed up at him, but the Face Stealer simply placed the end of the blow gun between his lips and shot a dart at her. Suki gasped as the dart pierced her neck and she went down.

"Too easy," the second one said as put the blow gun back in his robes.

He kicked the first one to wake him up, "Get up. Let's take her to the others."

The first one pulled himself up, rubbing his head, as he grabbed her legs. The second one grabbed her arms and they whisked her away into the darkness.

Toph ran into the dojo only moments before the Face Stealers took off with Suki. She mentally cursed herself for forgetting she couldn't see through wood structures. Having seen no sight of Suki, she lowered her head and walked back outside.

Outside, Katara and Sokka met at the town's center where the once proud statue of Avatar Kyoshi once stood. They both looked at it gloomily.

"I can't believe they did this," Katara grimaced at the sight of charred wood and ashes.

"Real low of those bastards to destroy a religious emblem," Sokka frowned.

They heard footsteps come up slowly from behind them and they turned around to see Toph slowly walking up to them with a look of sorrow on her face.

"Hey, Toph," Sokka said and pointed to the former statue, "can you believe those guys did this?"

Toph barely gave it a look, "Uh, huh."

Katara and Sokka exchanged worried glances.

"Toph, what's wrong?" Katara asked putting her hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, what were you doing in the dojo?" Sokka added.

Toph sniffed, "Suki."

Sokka's brown skinned face paled at the morbidity of how she said his wife's name.

"What do you mean?" he asked concerned, "Where is she?"

"I don't know," she whispered.

Sokka lost it and grabbed Toph by the shoulders and lowered his face to her eye level.

"Where is my wife?!" he demanded.

Unfortunately for him, Toph did not let people push her around, even her own friends. She stomped her foot and earthbended a rock pillar out of the ground to knock Sokka away from her. He hit the ground hard and got the wind knocked out of him. He glared at Toph and went to fight back, but Toph earthbended again, this time to brace his arms to the ground, keeping him from getting up.

Sokka pulled at the rock-cuff to no avail, "Let me go!"

"I don't know where Suki is," Toph raised her voice, "All I know is that she was ambushed in there, and before I could react, she was taken. And I won't let you up until you cool down."

Sokka stopped and took a breath in an effort to calm himself.

Katara glanced at Toph, "Do you have any idea where?"

Toph shook her head, "No, they were gone by the time I got there."

Toph stamped her foot and released Sokka. He stood up and looked at the other two. Where once there was frustration and anger on his face, was replaced by fear and sadness.

"I'm sorry, Toph," Sokka lowered his head, "It's just, after what happened years ago, it's hard for me when something happens to the girl I love."

"I understand," Toph nodded, "and I think I know how to track them."

"How?" Katara asked.

Toph stamped her foot into the ground beneath her, "There seems to have been a lot of foot traffic to the western part of the island in the last few days. Some prints are pretty fresh. My bet is, if they took Suki somewhere it'd be in that direction."

Sokka unsheathed his sword, "Let's go."

**Aang and Zuko. The Boiling Rock. **

A hole opened up on the inner part of the prison and Aang and Zuko popped up out of it.

"Nice job," Zuko told Aang as he dusted himself off.

Aang dusted himself off too as a glint of metal reflecting in the moonlight caught his eye. He looked up and gasped.

"Zuko, get down!" he shouted and tackled Zuko back into the hole just in time to avoid a fireball from blowing them up.

"What the…" Zuko started as he looked up.

Another fireball was shot at them with a piercing scream. He ducked back down instinctively as the fireball exploded above them. Up on the wall a burly, bald man with a metallic left arm walked closer to them, watching them like a predator.

"It's Combustion Man!" Aang shouted as another fireball from the opposite direction blew up behind them.

Aang and Zuko behind them as another combustion man with a metallic shoulder blade approached them from the lower ramp on the wall.

"Scratch that," Aang frowned, "Combustion _Men_."

Both combustion men reared back at the same time and fired a fireball at the Avatar and the Fire Lord.

"Come on," Zuko said and jumped out with Aang following him.

They jumped out just in time as both fireballs blasted the hole to smithereens. Aang and Zuko were thrown forward by the blast, as the two combustion men jumped down from the walls and on to the ground. Metal Arm reared back and fired at them. Zuko reacted quickly and created an fire shield which protected them from most of the blast.

"We can't keep doing this," Zuko shouted, "We need to go on the offensive!"

Just then the alarm bells rang, alerting the rest of the prison to their presence.

"This is not good," Aang said.

He then took Zuko's advice and jumped forward at Metal Shoulder, earthbending a boulder and hurling it at him. Metal Shoulder instantly vaporized it, but Aang was quick. He bended a large gust of air at him, pushing the leviathan backwards several feet.

"You know how to take these guys out, right?" Aang shouted and airbended another gust at Metal Shoulder.

"Third eye!" Zuko shouted back as he swiftly dodged an incoming fireball.

He leapt up and charged at Metal Arm. As he reared back for another shot, Zuko jumped into the air and kicked a stream of flames at him. Metal Arm jumped out of the way in time, but was too slow to avoid the next attack Zuko sent at him: two fireballs shot from his fists. The attack sent Metal Arm back careening into the prison wall behind him.

Aang meanwhile leapt up high in the air and threw down several air punches at Metal Shoulder. He dodged most of them and was able to counter attack with a fireball. Aang, being an airbender, easily evaded the attack and landed on the ground with a huge thud from earthbending. The force sent Metal Shoulder back several feet.

Overlooking the prison yard where the fight was, Governor Zhou ran out on the balcony to see what the commotion was about. He looked down and frowned with anger at the Avatar and the Fire Lord.

"You two!" he turned to his guards, "scramble the troops! Now!"

"Yes, sir!" one of them said quickly and they both ran off.

He turned back to the prison yard and glared furiously at the two.

Metal Shoulder managed to fire off a round at Aang, who was able to quickly deflect it with his airbending and sent it flying to the prison balcony.

Zhou saw the redirected fireball and gasped, quickly rolling out of the way as it collided with the building. Azula walked out and noted the explosion silently before turning to Zhou.

"What's all the commotion?" she yawned.

Zhou got up and dusted himself off, then glared at her, "Your brother's here. And so is the Avatar!"

She shrugged, "Oh, is that all?"

"Don't worry yourself, your highness," he held his hand up and turned back to the prison yard, "this is being handled as we speak."

Zuko evaded a fireball and charged at Metal Arm. He was now only a few feet away. Metal Arm fired one more at Zuko, which was easily avoided, and Zuko jumped up with fire burning in his fist. With a loud roar, he crashed his fist right on top of his third eye. Metal Arm roared in agony and collapsed to the ground, unconscious from the hit to the spiritually sensitive spot.

Aang, meanwhile, had Metal Shoulder cornered between the wall and the tower. Metal Shoulder furiously fired random, short bursts at Aang, who effortlessly deflected them with firebending. Between shots, Aang reared back and bended a huge gust of wind at him. The power of the gust nearly flattened Metal Shoulder against the wall and dropped him to his knees. As a final attack, Aang kicked up a small boulder and kicked it at his head, right into his third eye. Metal Shoulder was down for the count.

Azula turned to the over confident governor, "So, this is how you handle things?"

Zhou smirked, "Keep watching."

Right on cue, every door in on the yard opened and dozens of Zhou's guards flooded the yard and surrounded Aang and Zuko. They both readied their fighting stances, but then looked unsurely at each other.

"There's too many of them," Aang said.

"Just go in the Avatar State," Zuko said.

As Aang got ready to go into the Avatar State, a small, silver canister dropped at their feet, spewing a cloud of gray smoke. Aang and Zuko coughed and chocked on the smoke and felt themselves become nauseated. Zuko was the first to go as he collapsed to his knees and, with a gasp of struggled breath, fell face down. Aang soon followed suit. The last thing he saw was a blurry image of the guards approaching them and bounding their legs and arms before he passed out.

**A/N: I was going to wait a couple more days to post this, but in honor of The Last Airbender teaser being released today, I decided to give you guys a side treat. **


	12. Return of the Face Stealer

**Chapter 12**

**Return of the Face Stealer  
**

*******Disclaimer: Contains harsh language******  
**

**Aang and Zuko. The Boiling Rock**

Aang stirred awake and looked around at his surroundings. Cold, dark, and metallic. It had to be somewhere in the Boiling Rock. As he opened his eyes wider, a sharp pain seemed to pierce his head like a bad hangover. He went to massage his temples, but felt a metal chain tighten as he tried to pull his arm up. He then remembered what happened. The smoke. It had to have been some sort of chemical agent that knocked them out. He heard a small grunt behind him and turned to see Zuko tied against his back, still unconscious. He nudged his back.

"Zuko, wake up," Aang whispered.

Zuko stirred a little, but did not wake.

"Zuko!" Aang hissed and elbowed him hard right in the spine.

He grunted awake and glared back at Aang, "Ow! What was that for?!"

"Trying to wake you up," Aang whispered, "We need to get out of here."

Zuko looked down at the chain that bound them, "Good luck. Now would be a real good time for Toph to show up."

Aang wrestled with the chain to pull his arm out, "Well, if I can just…"

The cell door slid open blinding the two of them with the bright light from the halls. Three silhouettes stood in the light for a second before the middle one walked forward and revealed himself to be Governor Zhou.

"The Avatar and the Fire Lord," Zhou smirked amusingly, "What a night this must be to have such honored guests in my humble prison."

"_Your _prison?" Zuko repeated, "You'll be thinking differently when my navy shows up and takes it back."

Zhou chuckled amusingly, "Oh, Zuko, did you think I wouldn't have foreseen such an attack? The Boiling Rock was designed for such large scale invasions. The prison's weak point is interior take over. A coup, if you will. I only had to overthrow the Warden and a few other key officials to declare this place mine."

"Where are the other guards?" Aang demanded.

"Well, the prisoners joined our side willingly, seeing us a liberators," Zhou shrugged, "The guards were given a choice: join us and live, or die. Most of them chose to join us in the end and are now being re-educated by our lovely coconspirators, the Order of Koh."

"They're not part of the Separatists?" Zuko wondered.

"Of course not," Zhou spat, "I wouldn't let trash like them into my own home, let alone my humble organization. They're just a necessary evil I have to put up with for the time being. In fact, their leader requested an audience with you specifically."

"Me?" Zuko asked as Zhou snapped his fingers.

The guards sprung into action and grabbed Zuko, unlocking him from Aang, but still keeping his hands bound in chains. Zuko thrashed, but was unable to accomplish anything as they dragged him away.

Aang glared up at Zhou who glared back evilly at him.

"You and I, Avatar, have unfinished business," Zhou growled, "Business that goes back almost fourteen years ago."

**Katara, Sokka, Toph. Kyoshi Island. **

Toph led the way through the dark, damp forest outside the town. There were no visible footprints on the ground but, thanks to her superb earthbending skills, she was able to pick up on the tiniest footprints invisible to the naked eye. Sokka and Katara followed her closely, with the former carrying a fierce look of determination and anger on his face.

"How much further?" Sokka asked.

Toph rounded a corner of a fork in the road.

"Should be any minute now," she shouted back.

"Don't you think we should've called the other soldiers?" Katara asked her brother.

Sokka shook his head, "No time."

Toph led them to a small hill which they trudged up, exhausted from the nearly two mile run they just endured. They reached the top of the hill and stopped to catch their breath and survey their surroundings. Sokka eyed the horizon and pointed out about half a mile or so to the northern part of the island.

"There's Koi Fish Cove," he stated as he squinted his eyes.

In the dark he could barely make out the cove and nearby beach, but he could see shadows of what looked like old junks, which bobbed anchored in the water, and several small, wooden structures built up on the beach with some small fires burning outside it.

"What is it?" Katara asked as she mimicked her brother.

"I don't know," Sokka replied, "some kind of base, I'd assume. No one lives there, but I think the Earth Kingdom Legionnaires were set up there a week ago."

"I think the Separatists took over it and are using it as base camp," Katara noted.

Sokka nodded in agreement, "Looks that way."

He turned to Toph, "Do you think they brought Suki down there?"

Toph shrugged, "Too hard to tell. My guess is yes. This place seems like the highest point on Kyoshi Island, and if there's no other settlement other than the town, then that's probably where they are."

Katara nodded, "Then let's go in for a closer look."

**Zuko. Boiling Rock**

A metallic door creaked open and Zuko was thrown in by Zhou's guards. He landed on the floor hard and struggled to get up, but was still slightly dazed by the gray smoke.

"Here's the prisoner you requested," one of the guards stated.

Zuko looked up and saw a cloaked person sitting with their back turned to them. The person appeared to be putting something on their face and just waved it's hand to user the guards away. They bowed and hurried out of the room.

Zuko looked up and tried to see the face of the mysterious person sitting in front of him.

"Ok, you have me," Zuko grunted as he struggled himself up, "Now show yourself."

The cloaked person said nothing and continued about it's business.

Zuko glared, "I said show yourself!"

Again, nothing.

Furious, and not used to people disobeying him, he walked over to the chair. He grabbed the person's shoulder and spun them around in the chair to face him. He immediately jumped back in shock as he saw who it was. Azula, but not the Azula he remembered. This one was thinner with her face fully painted white with red lips, and carried and aura of evil and malice more so than ever before. She looked at him with eyes devoid of humanity, emitting nothing but ice, cold hatred.

He stumbled backwards and landed on his backside, "Azula?!"

**Aang and Zhou. Boiling Rock Cell. **

Aang glared up at Zhou, "What do you mean we have business?"

"Don't you remember?" Zhou asked with his gravelly voice, "It was almost fourteen years ago. The infamous Siege of the North? The battle that turned the tide of the war against the Fire Nation? The battle in which you killed hundreds of Fire Nation soldiers and, most importantly, my father, Admiral Zhao."

Aang blinked. He remembered the battle, though the latter part was a haze. According to Sokka and Katara, he took hold of the Ocean Spirit's power and embodied him to wreak havoc on the Fire Navy. He didn't remember what actually happened other than that, and frankly, he wouldn't want to. He didn't like the fact he killed hundreds of people even if the cause was just. But he certainly didn't remember killing Zhao.

He looked back up at Zhou and shook his head.

Zhou raised an eyebrow, "No? You don't remember?"

"No, I don't," Aang replied defiantly.

"I remember it quite clearly," Zhou reminisced, "I was there. I remember my father was at the verge of victory. The moon was destroyed but you, the Avatar, had to snatch that victory from him, and kill him with that Ocean Spirit you controlled."

"I didn't control the Ocean Spirit," Aang defended himself, "It controlled me."

Zhou shot a fireball at Aang's feet, "Liar! Don't try to justify your sins with me! You used the Avatar State to control the Ocean Spirit and murder my father in cold blood."

"I didn't do it!" Aang yelled, "I swear."

"That's not how I saw it," he stated, "I remember it like it was yesterday. Zuko and my father were fighting on top of some bridge in the North Pole. I had narrowly escaped your devastation on the invasion when I saw him up there. Then I saw the same creature that wreaked havoc on my comrades reach up and grab my father, pulling him into the ocean to his death. The Avatar, bringer of peace, murdered my father in cold blood."

"Zhao wanted to wipe out an entire people!" Aang shouted, "He betrayed the spirits and killed one of them. Did you think the Ocean Spirit would sit idly by and do nothing?! Zhao got what was coming to him."

Zhou kicked Aang in the side of his head, knocking him sideways on the floor. Aang winced as a trickle of blood crept down his forehead.

"You dare dishonor my father in my presence?!" Zhou spat.

Aang closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He'd had enough of this and was preparing to go into the Avatar State and be done with this.

Zhou smirked at him as his arrows began to glow white.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," he sneered.

Aang's concentration was broken. He looked up quizzically at Zhou.

"In case you haven't noticed," Zhou continued, "this facility is steam powered by boiler that can rupture and blow up from the smallest tremor. That magnificent, destructive power, you call the Avatar State, would surely rupture said boilers, killing everyone here instantly. Surely your conscience couldn't handle hundred more dying by your actions."

Aang looked down, realizing he was right.

"Plus, I know all about your Avatar Spirit," Zhou smirked causing Aang to look up, shocked, "Yes, I know everything. Like my father, I took it upon myself to scour and find all the knowledge I could find about my enemy. I'm fully aware that if you die in the Avatar State, you would not be reborn, the cycle broken. An explosion of that magnitude would surely take you with it. Not much of an incentive, if you ask me. But, when I leave tomorrow, feel free to go in it. Do the world a favor and let the Avatar Spirit die with you."

Aang glared up at him, "Well, fine. You have me imprisoned here. I obviously won't go into the Avatar State, so what do you want with me?"

"Because," Zhou kicked him in the gut, and proceeded to kick him after every following word, "I want you to die painfully and humiliatingly, like my father."

Aang winced with every kick. As Zhou raised his leg to kick him again, Aang took a deep breath of air and blew him away twenty feet to crash into the wall. Zhou grunted and rubbed his now throbbing head, then glared at the young Avatar.

"Foolish," he rose and dusted himself off, "No matter, as soon as Azula is done with her brother in there, the two of you are going to pay for your sins. You can't even imagine the torture and pain my friends have in mind for you."

Aang's eyes widened, "Wait, Azula's here too?!"

Zhou nodded, "Yes. Unfortunately, I have to put up with her for the time being. But, no matter. Once their done with you, we're going to ship you back to the Earth Kingdom, one body part at a time."

He turned to open the door and step out, "Enjoy your last few hours alive, Avatar."

He slammed the door behind him, leaving Aang in darkness.

**Katara, Sokka, Toph. Kyoshi Island. **

The three of them crept in the darkness, ducking between shadows and trees, until they silently reached the edge of the beach.

"This is as far as I can track them," Toph whispered, "I can't tell much on the beach."

"You don't have to," Sokka replied as he spied on the beach, "From the looks of it, we got a couple dozen pirates and maybe a dozen, or so, Face Stealers."

"Should be no problem," Katara said.

Sokka and Toph nodded in agreement.

"But we don't want to rouse suspicion," Sokka stated, "As much as I would like to go out there full arsenal, we can't run the risk of them killing off the Suki and the others. We need stealth."

Toph smirked, "Coming right up."

They both gave her a quizzical look but shrugged, trusting her intuition.

Not more than twenty yards away two long haired pirates, one skinny and the other fat and bearded, walked away from the campsite. They stopped and one of them faced a tree to take a leak while the other stood guard. A few seconds passed the pirate trying to take a leak groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Man, I got public piss syndrome right now," the skinny pirate groaned and looked at the fat one, "Don't say fucking word."

The fat pirate raised his eyebrow and shrugged, turning away to look out at the forest.

Katara, Sokka, and Toph ducked behind a dark bush twenty feet away as they waited for the right time to strike.

"You'll see, Silent Bob, one day we're going to be the bad ass pirates running the show," Jay proclaimed, "We'll have our own ship and shit. Sail around the world. Maybe even find a new civilization. And fuck all their chicks. Yeah."

Silent Bob turned and raised his eyebrow, then nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, they'll call us Captain Jay and Silent Bob," he said, mostly to himself, "Explorers of the world, and fuckers of new civilizations. You like the sound of that?"

Silent Bob smiled and nodded. Jay looked at him in disgust.

"Ew, turn around, you Butt-pirate," Jay turned to shield himself away as Silent Bob rolled his eyes and turned back around.

"Man, I'd love to get a crack at one of those Kyoshi Warriors," Jay said while trying to go, "Especially that new one they just brought in. Real fucking shame they gotta convert them."

The silent one nodded his head in agreement.

Sokka lost it right there. He immediately jumped forward and threw his boomerang at Jay, who didn't see it coming, and hit him square in the back of the head. He covered his head where it hit and fell forward.

"Ow! What the fuck?!" he yelled and collapsed to the ground.

Silent Bob looked at Jay shocked and turned to where Sokka was and went to draw his sword out of his trench coat. Toph was quick to back her friend up and earthbended a rock cocoon around Silent Bob, preventing him from moving. Jay got up and ran towards them, mad as can be. Katara leaped into action and waterbended a stream of water at Jay, knocking him back against a tree. As he was pinned from the attack, she froze the water, trapping him. He struggled for a second but to no avail.

"What the fuck is going on here?!" Jay yelled.

Sokka rushed up and held his sword to Jay's throat, "Be quiet, you idiot!"

Jay turned to Silent Bob, "Don't tell them anything!"

Silent Bob rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"So you got something to tell?" Katara suggested.

"Good luck getting anything from Silent Bob," he stated, "Fucker's like a diamond. You can't crack him!"

Jay then looked at Katara and smirked as charmingly as he can, "Hey, babe, wanna go out some time."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, then threw and icicle at him, nearly missing his head.

"Whoa! I got it, damn!" Jay shouted, "You could've just said you were into chicks."

"Stop wasting our time or I'll crush your fat friend, here," Toph threatened.

"Hey, that hurts," Silent Bob said, "Look I know I'm fat, but I can't do anything about it."

All of them were taken aback by his talking. Jay glared at him.

"What the fuck, Silent Bob?" Jay yelled, "You were supposed to be silent. Worst pirate ever."

"Hey, come on," Silent Bob said, "We both suck at this pirate thing. We only did it to pass time. This ain't our thing. This is our chance to do the right thing and help good people."

Jay thought about it for a second, "You always make sense, man," he turned to Sokka and the others, "Alright, we'll tell you what you want, but you gotta do two things first."

Sokka shrugged, "Ok, what?"

"Ok, first you gotta let us join your crew and take us on your adventures and shit," Jay said.

Sokka groaned and rolled his eyes. He didn't like this Jay guy, but at this point he'd to anything to get Suki back.

"Ok, fine," Sokka rubbed the bridge of his nose, "and the other?"

"And the second, you gotta go ass to mouth with her," he motioned to Katara.

Well, he doesn't want her back that bad.

"What?!" Katara and Sokka yelled.

"She's my sister!" Sokka yelled.

Jay grinned, "Even better."

Silent Bob shot Jay a look as if to say "what?"

Jay rolled his eyes, "Ok, fine, just the first one."

Silent Bob nodded in agreement. Sokka looked at the other two and shrugged.

"Ok, let them go," Sokka said.

The rock cocoon sunk back in the ground, releasing Silent Bob, and Katara melted the ice and retracted the water back in her pouch, causing Jay to fall back to the ground. He got up and dusted himself off.

"Ok, what do you wanna know?" Jay asked.

"The Kyoshi Warriors you mentioned," Sokka started, "where are they?"

"Oh, they keep those fine bitches housed up in the old barracks we stole from the Earth Kingdom troops," Jay answered while flailing his arms wildly, "We burnt most of them down, but those Face Stealers wanted to keep some around."

"For what?" Katara wondered out loud.

"Beats me," Jay said, "Figured they would kill them like the others, but they keep them alive."

"Who did you kill?" Sokka asked angrily.

"Whoa, man, me and Silent Bob didn't kill nobody," Jay held up his hands in defense, "Those Face Stealers did most of it. Said they only wanted warriors and benders and shit."

"So what did they do with the rest?" Katara asked.

"Killed them," Silent Bob said, "First night here, the Face Stealers separated the men and Kyoshi Warriors from the other women and children. Then, I guess they killed the others and housed up the Warriors and men in the barracks."

Sokka glared and turned away, disgusted. Katara and Toph felt sick to their stomachs, realizing their fears that they were too late. They didn't figure just how late they were.

"Can you get us into the barracks?" Sokka asked.

Jay shook his head, "Man, that place is guarded like the Earth King's palace. You gotta do like a distraction, or shit to get those Face Stealers away."

Sokka rubbed his chin as he thought of an idea, "A distraction, hm?"

**Zuko and Azula. Boiling Rock. **

Azula looked down at him coldly and devoid of emotion, "You seem surprised, Zuzu. I figured you would've know I was behind all of this."

Zuko glared, "I had a gut feeling."

"But, to be fair, I wasn't behind the original Separatist movement. I'm a relative newcomer."

"Where are the guards that were here?" Zuko demanded, changing the subject.

"Oh, they're doing quite well," Azula sneered, "They'll make fine additions to the Order of Koh. The inmates, too."

"They wouldn't join your little gang," Zuko shot back.

"Of course they wouldn't join willingly," Azula stated, "Very few actually do it willingly. That's why we have to condition them and reeducate them. Once they hear the words of Koh himself, they are powerless to resist and become one of us."

"So that's your ingenious plan?" Zuko raised an eyebrow, "Brainwash everyone to be your zombie, slave soldiers?"

Azula shrugged and turned back to the desk she was sitting at, "More or less. Of course, there are some that possess strong will and are unable to break, but they're dealt with. If you can't join us, then you simply die."

"So that's your plan?" Zuko said, "turn me and Aang into your slaves?"

Azula smirked, "Actually, no. See I have better things to do than try and convert my sworn enemies. I'd rather people see the Avatar fail to save the world and cause them to loose hope. A reverse martyr, if you will. Maybe I'll convert him. Turn him into a dark Avatar the world will fear, but to do that I loose all control, so I'd rather do the former. And as for you…"

She turned back around, this time wearing a leather glove with razor sharp knives attached to the fingertips like metallic claws. Zuko gulped as he saw this, but dared not show any fear.

"I'm going to put you through as much misery as you put me through in that Fire Nation prison," she stared down at him, "You're going to feel the physical pain of everything you've done to me, and more. Not to mention you'll live long enough to see everything you love be destroyed."

Zuko's eyes grew wide with fear, "Leave my family out of this!"

"Hmm," she tapped a claw to her head, "I wonder if my two nephews will do well in our Order. Because that's where they're headed."

"You wouldn't," he pleaded.

"I would," she smiled maliciously and reached down for him with her razor claws.

**Kyoshi Island. **

A loud, thunderous crash of half a cliff side smashing and falling down in the forest echoed through the encampment, getting everyone's attention. Jay and Silent Bob ran out of the forest with Silent Bob cradling a false wound on his arm.

"Captain Bial, man," Jay shouted and ran up to the captain and the Face Stealers, "You, too, Face Stealers."

"What did you do, Jay?" Captain Bial rolled his eyes.

Jay looked offended, "Man, we didn't do shit. Me and Silent Bob, here, were just out walking around when we was ambushed by this platoon of earthbenders. They even got Silent Bob in the arm!"

Silent Bob nodded eagerly.

"Tell your men to go to the ships and ready the catapults," the Lead Face Stealer said to Bial, "We'll handle this."

"My men are already on board," Bial nodded.

The Lead Face Stealer motioned for the others to follow him into the forest. Once they were out of sight Bial turned to Jay and Silent Bob.

"Come on, we're leaving this mad house," he turned and headed for the boat.

"Hey, Cap, wait," Jay said and Bial turned.

Jay punched him in the face and kicked him in the stomach, causing him to fall to the ground unconscious.

"Yeah, mother fucker!" Jay danced around him, "That's how we do it Jay and Silent Bob style!"

Silent Bob nodded and reached his fist over to Jay, who bumped it without second thought. Jay then turned to the forest.

"Ok, guys, coast is clear," he yelled out, "Literally."

Sokka ran out, followed closely by Katara and Toph.

"Ok, lets get them out of here and head back to the ship," Sokka said and the three of them headed to the first barrack.

"Yo, we'll wait in the forest!" Jay shouted at them.

"You do that," Sokka shouted back at them, not caring what they did.

Jay and Silent Bob ran off and headed back to the forest.

Sokka, Katara, and Toph ran up to the first barrack and kicked the door open, and ran in with their weapons drawn. Inside, they were greeted by a nauseating, thick mist of gray smoke. At first sight there was no one in there, but they could hear someone chanting in a low, dull voice. They looked around as the smoke cleared and saw a dozen of the Kyoshi Warriors restrained on the bed, their eyes wide open as if they were in some kind of mystified, disturbed trance.

"The Death Spirit is your friend," the dull voice said, "He is your leader, your shepherd, your master. Obey him and he will show you a path to immortality. Koh is your friend…"

The voice repeated itself and as the smoke cleared they saw it's source. A Face Stealer sat in meditation position and mumbled words channeled from Koh himself. He was so far in a trance, he didn't acknowledge their presence.

Sokka looked around frantically for any sign of Suki. After a few seconds he saw her in the next bed over. He rushed over to her side. Her eyes were wide like her sisters' and her lips silently moved to the words the Face Stealer said.

"Suki," he whispered, "wake up, it's us. We're here to rescue you."

**Aang. Boiling Rock. **

Aang sat in a meditation position deep in a trance. His breathing was rhythmic and controlled as he concentrated on his meditating. Suddenly his tattoos glowed a brilliant bluish, white hue which illuminated his prison cell. He was now in the Spirit World.

**Aang. The Spirit World. **

Aang's Avatar Spirit glowed as a blue hue around him as he materialized on a large banyan tree in the dark, mysterious world of the spirits. He opened his eyes and looked around cautiously, not knowing what malevolent creatures existed here. He climbed down the tree until he got to the roots and jumped into the water below it with a splash. Again, he looked around to make sure that nothing dangerous was around.

"Hello, Aang," an old, familiar voice said behind him.

He quickly turned and saw the old, withered face of his previous Avatar incarnation, Roku.

"Avatar Roku?!" Aang said, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I am a spirit now," Roku smiled warmly, "It would makes sense that I reside here. And I must ask why you are here."

Aang sighed, "I'm here to see Koh."

Roku was slightly taken aback by this declaration, "Koh, the God of the Dead?! Why on earth would you want to see him?"

"You may not have noticed, but there is something disturbing happening on earth," Aang said, "There's a group of people who are responsible for causing destruction and threaten to throw the world out of balance again. They call themselves The Order of Koh."

Roku grimaced, "The Order of Koh is an ancient organization that runs back farther than most of history can remember."

"I've heard the tale."

"But it is no tall tale," Roku warned, "It has happened in the before, but I never thought it would happen again. Yet my history, and everyone else's, may be slightly skewed. You wish to see Koh to explain it for you?"

Aang nodded, "You said yourself he's one of the oldest spirits."

Roku nodded, "Very wise of you. But what do you hope to find?"

"I need to know his involvement in it," Aang explained, "I need to know if these people are just a bunch of kooks that are copycatting the original order, or if they are for real."

"Not a bad idea," Roku offered, "but remember, Koh is a very influential, powerful spirit, and he does not like the Avatar."

"I have to try," Aang said sternly.

Roku nodded, "I understand. Remember what I told you of him."

And with that, Roku dissipated into thin air. Aang looked in the direction of Koh's lair and sighed before taking off.

**Katara, Sokka, Toph, Suki. Kyoshi Island. **

Suki made no acknowledgement to his presence; she just continued in her paralyzed trance.

"Suki!" he touched her shoulder to rouse her.

Still nothing. He frowned and began to violently shake her awake, "Suki, wake up!"

He yelled and continued to shake her, but to almost no avail. It did get her to stop mouthing the words, though. He then raised his hand up and slapped her across the face.

"I don't think she'd going to like that," Toph noted.

Suki stirred a little bit, then faded back into her trance. Sokka appeared defeated, then turned to his sister.

"Splash some water on her face," Sokka ordered.

Katara nodded and bent some water to hover over her head. She then released it and let it crash on her face. Suki chocked and coughed, breaking her trance. She looked around confusingly, then saw Sokka.

"Sokka?" she smiled weakly.

"I'm going to get you out of here, baby," he reached down with his boomerang and severed her restraints. He turned to the other two, "Go wake up the others; we're getting out of here." "I think not," the Face Stealer opened his eyes from the end of the room and stood up.

Sokka cradled Suki in her weakened state and faced him with the other two.

"You see, it's too late," the Face Stealer sneered, "They've already been converted."

"No one would join you," Toph raised her fist, "Your little chants can't turn these hardened warriors."

"But they can," he took a couple of steps forward, "and once they're converted, there's no going back."

He raised his arms and firebended a thin sliver of fire across the beds, burning through the other's restraints and freeing them.

"By the power of Koh," he raised his voice and arms up, "I command you to-"

He fell down dead, with a boomerang sticking out of his chest. Katara and Toph turned to Sokka with their mouths agape as he glared at the Face Stealer grimly.

"Man, those guys talk too much," Sokka said.

The Face Stealer struggled to raise his head up to say his last words, "Kill them."

As he slumped down dead, the room became alive as the former Kyoshi Warriors rose and glared evilly at the four of them.

"This is not good," Katara looked around them.

"Run," Sokka whispered and they did as he told, dashing quickly out of the room.

The new Face Stealers shrieked and drew their weapons. They quickly jumped forward and chased after them.

The trio ran out to the middle of the encampment, with Sokka carrying Suki in his arms.

"What about the others?" Katara asked.

Sokka looked at the other two barracks and the doors burst open with two dozen new Face Stealers rushing out, following the original batch. They immediately surrounded them with their weapons drawn.

"We don't want to hurt you!" Katara shouted, "You are Kyoshi Warriors. You're above this!"

"We are Face Stealers," they all replied in monotonous voices, "Servants of Koh, and killers of heathens."

"No, you're not," Katara said, "You're our friends!"

"Katara," Suki said weakly, "They're not the same. You have to leave, now!"

The Face Stealers began closing in on them slowly.

"I say we listen to her," Toph said and earthbended a large tremor behind them.

The tremor knocked the Face Stealers down and she bent some earth pillars to knock them away to clear them a path.

"Toph!" Sokka yelled.

"They're not them anymore," Toph said quickly, "Trust me. We have to go!"

Sokka nodded and they ran out of the ever enclosing circle as fast as they can. The Face Stealers were taken aback slightly, but quickly recovered and chased after them. As Katara and Sokka cleared the beach, Toph turned and sand-bended them some cover in an attempt to loose them. Not wanting to stick around to find out if they lost them, she quickly headed into the forest with her friends.

She passed a tree and a boulder and met up with her friends, who just met up with Jay and Silent Bob.

"Yo, dudes, we gotta get out of here," Jay shouted.

"Quick, back to the ship!" Sokka shouted.

They heard a shriek from the Face Stealers behind them, which grabbed their attention.

Sokka nodded, "Ok, let's go. Quickly!"

The five of them dashed off into the dark forest as fast as they could away from the oncoming onslaught.

**Aang. Spirit World. **

Aang sighed at where he stood. This murky, dank, swamp was known throughout the Spirit World as the Realm of Koh. Only the most foolish, or daring, of spirits dared to venture there. Aang couldn't decide whether he was one or the other. He had only seen Koh on one occasion prior, and even then it was an extremely dangerous ordeal. He took a deep breath, remembering Roku's advice from long ago.

"Show no emotion," Aang said to himself and walked to Koh's home.

Aang stepped inside the tall mangroves that blocked out the sunlight making it seem more like a desolate cave; the perfect place for Koh to ambush his prey. He heard a small creak to his left but took no note of it. Koh had a tendency, much like his earthly followers, to employ the use of theatrics to torture their prey. Aang would love to say he didn't fear Koh, but deep down, farther than Koh could see, the Face Stealer scared the living hell out of him. Another creak to his left. Aang stopped.

"Enough of the theatrics, Koh," he raised his voice, but was careful to not show emotion, "I know you're here."

"Such quick to the point, child?" Koh's eerie voice said from the darkness.

Koh's white face jumped from the darkness, followed quickly by the rest of his centipede-like body, and rushed to Aang's face, eager for him to show emotion. However, Aang was wise with thousands of lifetimes behind him; he knew better than to show emotion.

"I'm no child," Aang replied flatly.

"I've lived for five thousand year as opposed to your 26," Koh sneered, "You're barely an infant on my scale."

"I need to ask you something."

"You know, when you last were here, I told you we'd meet again," Koh stated and swayed around a bit, "But I was speaking metaphorically more to your Avatar Spirit, then you. But, still, always a pleasure to entertain the Avatar in my home."

"I need to ask you about the Order of Koh," Aang said.

Koh froze for a few seconds, then turned to Aang, "The Order of Koh?"

Aang nodded.

"Haven't heard that in almost one thousand years," Koh replied, "Quite a while, even for me. What do you want to know about them?"

"Much like they were a thousand years ago," Aang started, "they have returned to throw the world out of balance."

"This isn't the first time they've returned," Koh said, "They've come back before."

"They have?"

"Of course," Koh nodded, "They seem to resurface after large conflicts. The last time they were seen was after the Great Earth Kingdom War nearly a hundred and fifty years ago. Avatar Kyoshi, much like yourself, sought my help."

"Kyoshi fought them, too?"

"Yes, but they were quickly stopped," Koh slightly grimaced, "No where near as powerful as their ancestors."

"They nearly wiped out the world," Aang said.

"Yes, and it was my doing," Koh replied, "I started it as a way to punish mankind. At the time, they were an incredibly greedy people. Even the Avatar, Jung, was full of greed an gluttony. The mortal world was a wasted spit of land that took everything for granted, and for that they were punished."

"I thought you did it to gain followers?" Aang said.

"A common misconception," Koh replied simply, "While the Order of Koh are my mortal followers, and they do spread their influence to others, their purpose was not to convert the whole world to my doctrine. It was just a convenient side effect. No, their purpose was to be my army, my hand, in the mortal world. They go out to destroy and create chaos to remind the world of the ancient times."

"They nearly killed everyone on earth," Aang reminded, "They even killed Avatar Jung."

"Again, common misconception that has happened through the thousand year," Koh said, "The Order, themselves, didn't kill all of those people. But they were they did pave the road to destruction. They, themselves, are nowhere near that powerful. Which is what leads me to Avatar Jung. While he was killed in the conflict, it was not before he turned against the world and fell to darkness."

"Fell to darkness?" Aang repeated.

Koh nodded, "Avatar Jung became the first Dark Avatar. He possessed more power than any before him. Power that allowed him to single handedly throw the world out of balance. You have been exposed to that power before."

"I think I would remember it," Aang said.

"I'm sure you do. You last used it to take away Fire Lord Ozai's power," Koh sneered, "Life-bending. An ancient, and powerful form of bending that predates even me. The gods decided it was too powerful for mortals to have, so they gave it to one: the Avatar. It's because of that life-bending that you can temporarily use the powers of past Avatars in the Avatar State. It also your key to reincarnation. But, as you have experienced, there is far more to that power than you knew. Even you have only seen the tip of the iceberg. It's power is immeasurable. The power of a god in your hands. You can move continents, rearrange the stars in the sky, create comets, wipe out civilizations in an instant, or even create life anew where there once was none."

"And Avatar Jung knew how to do all of that?" Aang asked, interested.

"Most of it," Koh replied, "Though he could never create life, as hard as he tried, but he did manage to come close; he reanimated the dead. By raising the undead he created an army so powerful, it washed over the whole world like an evil flood. Oceans ran red with blood. Once powerful cities laid deserted. Corpses lined the countryside. Death was apparent everywhere. The mortals would never have won the final battle if not for him. While he was overcome and possessed by his god-like power, in the end he realized that it was the wrong path so he gave his life to destroy the undead and save the mortals. He was then reborn into Avatar Shavo, then Yang Chen, then… Kuruk, then Kyoshi, Roku, and finally to you."

"Thank you, Koh," Aang turned to walk away, "I must be going now."

Koh frowned and swooped in front of him, "I could teach you that power, Avatar."

"I do not want the power of a god," Aang walked past him, "It's too much responsibility and I do not want to kill millions of people."

"The world is out of balance because of the Fire Nation's genocide on your people," Koh reasoned, "You can use this power to take vengeance on them. Or better yet, create new airbenders to restore the balance. You're an airbender by birth, much more spiritual than Jung, an earthbender. Think of what you can create."

Aang paused momentarily to think about Koh's offer. Yes, he can have that power to create balance and ensure peace for all time, but not on the expense of others. It's too much of a risk to an already scarred world. A risk he can do without. And with that he walked out of Koh's lair.

"The offer," Koh said, "will always be on the table."

**Aang and Zuko. Boiling Rock. **

Aang awoke out of his trance to see Zuko lying on the floor. He gasped and rushed over to his side.

"Zuko!" he exclaimed, "You alright?"

He put his hand on his shoulder. Instead of feeling the fabric of his shirt, he felt the sticky, wet residue of blood. Aang looked at his hands in horror, then back at Zuko. He was covered with deep cuts and the blood flowing out of them. Zuko turned painfully over and looked at Aang.

"What happened to you?" Aang asked.

"Azula," Zuko said weakly, "She's in charge of the Separatists and the Order of Koh. She's planning an attack on our families to destroy hope for the world. Then rule it with an iron fist in the name of Koh."

Aang was silent for a second. Things were definitely getting more and more serious by the minute.

"I think we have more to worry about Koh, than her," Aang said.

"What do you mean?"

"I talked to Koh in the Spirit World," Aang said, "I think he may be planning another attack on the mortal world like he did a thousand years ago. Azula might just be the first act."

"So what should we do about it?" Zuko propped himself up.

Aang looked at him with determination on his face, "Stop it. At any and all costs. The fate of the world is at hand and I refuse to sit idly by and watch it plunge into chaos. I feel this may be our most important battle yet."

Zuko nodded in agreement and both of them stayed silent the remainder of the night.

**A/N: Jay and Silent Bob mixed in with the Avatar universe. It won't be a crossover series though. Just a small cameo blending the Avatar universe and the View Askewniverse. Hope you liked it.**


	13. The Shaman

**Chapter 13**

**The Shaman**

**Azula. Boiling Rock.**

Azula stood on the balcony overlooking the prison as the morning sun rose through the steam of the boiling lake. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply to harness the energy the sun was giving her. No matter how obsessed, twisted, or demented she was, she always respected the power the sun had given her. Without it she'd be powerless, like her father was in his last days. She can never stoop to that level. She can never be powerless. Power, like the sun, was what fueled her. That drive that every firebender had, that drive to destroy everything, kept her going in life. She realized a long time ago she can never be perfect, but she can destroy everybody and everything so no one could be better than her. Immortality. It was the reason she did this. If she fulfilled her Master's wishes, she would be crowned the ruler of the new world for all time. A living goddess she would become.

"Azula," Zhou greeted through his teeth as he approached her from behind.

She sighed and opened her eyes, "What is so important that you had to interrupt me from my thoughts, Governor?"

She turned around and glared at him with her infamous ice-cold stare. Zhou, however, was one of the few people on this earth not intimidated by her. Their history went back much further than this conflict and back to their days of schooling. He was a couple of years older than her, but he knew well who she was back then. Zhou was viewed as a bully in school who found it in his interest to pick on the weaker kids of the Royal Academy for Boys, namely Zuko. At one point, he made the mistake of picking a fight with Azula. Needless to say, he never made that mistake again, until today.

"What are we to do with the Avatar and your brother," he growled, "You promised me they would come here and I will have my revenge. Now they've been here for a day, and they still live. What are you waiting for?"

"The opportune moment," she replied simply, "We both want revenge, but I would much rather them suffer first before I end their lives."

Zhou furrowed his brow, "Keeping the Avatar and the Fire Lord here is dangerous to our operation. Not only do we have to worry about the Heroes of Sozin's War coming here, but also the rest of the Fire Nation's military. Not to mention they, themselves, are extremely dangerous."

"I'm counting on it," Azula sneered.

"Well, if you won't kill them, I will," Zhou huffed and turned back to the prison.

Azula quickly turned and bended a wall of her signature blue fire in front of the Governor. Zhou was a mixture of shock and fury as he turned around and glared down at Azula.

"Have patience, Governor," Azula said.

"How dare you tell me what to do," he yelled, "You are no longer the princess of the Fire Nation. You're nothing more than an outcast with serious mental issues. The most loathed person in the Fire Nation. You've got nothing other than your little cult which, I might add, has failed to do any of the things you promised. So let it be known right here; you are no longer in charge of my Separatist movement!"

Azula appeared unmoved by his outburst, "How hot do you think the water is?"

Zhou shook his head, incredulously, "What?! What does that have to do with anything?!"

"You're wrong that my little cult has been doing nothing," she stated as she motioned with her hands to make the fire-wall close in around them. Zhou looked behind him and stumbled forward as the fire came closer, "In fact we have been expanding. Converting all those inmates and prison guards has nearly tripled our numbers. We now outnumber your men."

The fire-wall closed in even closer as Zhou was now nearly at arms length from Azula, somewhere he didn't want to be. Azula turned and motioned to the prison yard below her.

"I want you to see easily your so-called power can slip through your fingers," she stated.

Zhou cautiously looked over the balcony. To his horror he saw a dozen of his guards surrounded by nearly a hundred of Azula's Face Stealers as they attempted to fight their way through the masses. Azula snapped her fingers and the fighting stopped. The Face Stealers were motionless as Zhou's guards stood confused as to what was happening.

"Power at the tips of your fingers," Azula noted, "Something no one in this world has had for over a thousand years. Those men, down there, are the few that weren't captured."

"Where are the rest?" he grimaced.

Azula smirked, "They're being converted as we speak."

He threw a ribbon of fire wildly as he swung his arm around, "I command you to release them!"

"You wouldn't want them back even if I could," Azula sneered, "Once the process to immortality has started, it can't be reversed."

"And what of the men down there?"

"It all depends how well you behave," Azula answered, "I'm willing to work with you and not convert them, so long as you know your place. Otherwise, I will have them slaughtered on the spot."

Zhou glared, "I will never bow to you."

"As you wish," she smiled and snapped her fingers.

Below them, the Face Stealers sprung back into action and rushed the unsuspecting guards. Zhou watched in horror as he saw his men get slaughtered before his eyes. He could hear their cries for help all the way up the balcony. Some for the him, and others for the gods. Their pleas for help turned into pleas for mercy, and then finally into screams of pain.

Then, nothing. An eerie silence of death echoed across the prison grounds as Zhou looked down in disgust. He winced and turned back to Azula, ready to fry her on the spot. However, he couldn't foresee what happened next. As quickly as he turned around, Azula reached over and stabbed him in the stomach with her razor glove. He gasped in shock and pain as he looked down at her hand wedged in his body.

"How does it feel," she taunted the near-dead man, "to see all your power disappear before your very eyes?"

He looked back up at her, determined to muster a response, but none came. All he could do was stare helplessly at her.

Azula smirked satisfyingly, "Figured as much. With all your power stripped away, you are nothing."

And with that she lifted him up high, with unforeseen strength, and hauled him up over her head to throw him over the side of the balcony and down to the boiling lake below.

His dying body crashed into the steaming hot water. He burned the last of his energy and life screaming and thrashing around in a vain attempt to escape the boiling water. It was useless, and in mere seconds he accepted his fate and allowed himself to be boiled to death. Governor Zhou, son of Zhao, was no more.

Azula removed her glove, now that the dirty work was done, and lowered the flames from behind her. Cesso walked up from behind her and bowed.

"Your highness," he lowered his head, "the airship is ready for your departure."

"Thank you, Cesso," she nodded approvingly, "I want two dozen of the best Face Stealers with me. The rest will stay here under your command. Keep the Avatar and the Fire Lord alive until my return. Expect company."

Azula turned to walk past her right hand man as he bowed even lower.

"As you wish," he sunk lower as Azula brushed past him to the airship.

**Rozin and Zek. Earth King's Palace. **

The sun's rays peered through the window in Rozin and Zek's bedroom in the Earth King's palace. The bright, white light of the morning sun beamed right onto Zek's face as he lied in bed. He opened his eyes then quickly squinted them back shut and rolled over.

"Damn it, Rozin," he mumbled, hating his brother's decision for having an eastern facing room.

Rozin, being a firebender and was spiritually connected with the sun, blinked his eyes open with the light flooding the room. He sat up and kicked off his sheets, then sat at the edge of the bed. He yawned and stretched trying to emerge from his fatigue. He looked over at his brother, still asleep, and rolled his eyes. How Zek could sleep in until noon was beyond him. Unlike his brother, Rozin was always an early riser; a tell-tale sign of a firebender.

Then, the door burst open causing Rozin to jump up in firebending stance, and Zek to clumsily roll out of bed and reach for his nearest dagger.

"What, what?!" Zek looked around, half asleep, "What's going on?"

Both princes looked at the doorway and say Jian standing there with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

"Oh, good, you're up," she smirked, "Time to start the day."

Zek sighed and slumped back on the floor, "My days don't start till noon so… bye."

He slapped the dagger back on the nightstand as Rozin glared at him. Rozin then turned back to Jian and relaxed his stance.

"What's the big deal about starting the day?" he asked, "Usually I'm up hours before you guys."

"I wanted to get some training done early, and I need some sparing partners," Jian shrugged.

"Great," Zek said as he crawled back into bed and pulled the covers over his head, "I'll be there half past never."

"Whatever," Rozin shrugged, "Count me in."

Jian nodded and looked at Zek, hiding under the covers, "Zek, you better wake up before I send Shaola in here."

Zek's eyes shot open and he kicked off the covers, "I'm up, I'm up!"

Jian nodded satisfyingly as Zek rushed to get dressed. She turned back to Rozin and raised her eyebrow.

"And Rozin," she smirked, "Nice underpants."

Rozin looked down and realized he wasn't dressed. His face grew beat red and he quickly grabbed his bed sheet to cover his "royal parts."

Jian laughed and walked out of the doorway and back into the halls as Rozin glared at her and threw a pillow in her direction.

**The Kids. Courtyard.**

Jian paced in front of all the kids in their little group: Rozin, Zek, Kya, Ahmo, Shaola, Dao, Lao, and Lin. Everyone, except for Rozin, were incredibly tired and yawned after being just woken up by Jian.

"Why are we here?" Shaola asked, yawning.

"As you all know, we are currently at war," Jian stated, "And with our parents off fighting it, it is up to us keep up the home front. Be ready for anything."

No one replied and the faint sound of a cricket could be heard in the back ground. Dao raised his hand.

"Yes, Dao?" Jian asked.

Dao lowered his hand, "I gotta go to the bathroom!"

Jian face palmed herself, "You got to be kidding me. Didn't you go already?"

The three year old shook his head.

She groaned, "Fine go, before you wet yourself."

Dao nodded and rushed back to the palace.

"Ok, while my brother with the tiny bladder is gone, we should discuss some things."

"Like what?" Zek asked.

"Like it or not, we're a team," Jian pounded her fist in the palm of her hand, "and teams need to work together."

Lao smirked and raised his hand, "Can I go to the bathroom, too?"

Jian glared at him, "No!"

Lao rolled his eyes as Jian continued, "So we need to train, so we can stand a fight against these guys when they show their ugly faces again."

"What do you mean when?" Rozin raised an eyebrow.

"It's obvious these guys will come back," Jian shrugged, "We've fought them twice on two separate battlefields. I think it's a given they'll show back up."

"Ok, so we're a group, right?" Shaola asked.

Jian nodded.

"So who's the leader?"

"I thought it would be obvious," Jian indicated herself.

"You?!" Shaola exclaimed, "Sorry, but I don't want to be waking up like this on my vacation."

"This isn't a vacation!" Jian yelled.

"Jian's right," Rozin said, "We know these creeps would do anything to kill us, so we should be ready. One of us, by ourselves, can't do anything, but as a group, we stand a chance."

Jian nodded, "See, Prince Anger-management gets it."

"Hey!"

"So, what you're saying is we combine our efforts or something?" Kya asked.

"Precisely," Jian said, "Think about it: water, earth, fire, sword, sai, daggers. We'd be unstoppable! Team Avatar returns!"

"Wasn't that what our parents called themselves?" Zek asked.

"It doesn't matter what our name is," Jian said, "The point is we need to learn to work together."

"But we already do," Kya said, "I mean, we survived the first two attacks, and now that we got two earthbenders with us, I don't think we got much to worry about it."

"Yeah, plus our parents didn't have team practices and they did alright," Rozin added.

"That's because your dad was the bad guy then," Jian said, "And they did have practice. I remember my dad and mom telling me about how they came up with a pretty good strategy to take down the Fire Lord."

"Yeah, and they didn't use it," Rozin replied, "My dad told me the same story. Said the plan was overly simple and wouldn't have worked, even without the comet. We don't need to plan, just be ready."

The others nodded in agreement with him, and Jian huffed, "Fine, if that's how you guys want to be."

"Come on, sis," Shaola walked up and put her hand on her shoulder, "We could use this as a time to go out and explore. Think of all the shops that are out there!"

Jian sighed, "I'm not shopping. Maybe I'll just go out and find a gym or something."

"I actually agree with Shaola," Kya said, "We should get out of the palace. A little human interaction never hurt anyone."

"It could," Rozin said.

"Oh, come on," Kya reasoned, "You said yourself you wanted to check out your uncle's tea shop."

"Yeah, and that's all I wanted to do," Rozin replied, "Walking around Ba Sing Se is not exactly on my to do list."

"And I'll go with you," Kya offered.

"Big surprise there," Jian whispered to her sister who snickered.

Kya glared, "Come on, Rozin."

She took his hand and practically dragged him out of the courtyard. Lao shrugged and followed them.

"I'll go, too," Lao said, "You uncle makes a good cup of tea."

"Fine, let's all go raid my great uncle's tea shop," Rozin threw up his hands in defeat.

The others shrugged and walked out of the courtyard into the great walled city.

**Sokka, Katara, Toph, Suki. Keivok Island. **

Sokka sat at Suki's bedside with his head rested in the palms of his hands. He hadn't slept a wink since escaping from Kyoshi. And Suki's condition hasn't improved either. He had the ship's medic take a look at her, but he could find nothing medically wrong with her. She wouldn't get up or even speak at all. Sokka feared the worst that she was slipping and turning into a Face Stealer. What would he do if she did? How could he tell their kids what happened to their mother? Would he have to kill her to save her? Thousands of questions like these ran through his mind throughout the night. It hurt him so bad to see her in this weakened state. Suki, _his _Suki. His amazing, loving wife. The mother of his three beautiful kids. A strong, proud warrior of an even prouder culture. He just couldn't fathom something like this happening to her. He silently took her hand and raised up to silently kiss it.

"Come on, Suki," he whispered, "I know you can hear me. You can pull through this. I know you can."

He looked back at her. Nothing but her rhythmic breathing. He sighed and set her hand back down.

He heard a knock at the door, but didn't lift his head to acknowledge it. The person knocked again and he heard the door squeak open.

"Sokka?" Katara whispered, peeking her head in.

"What is it, Katara?" Sokka sighed.

Katara stepped all the way in and silently closed the door behind her. She walked up behind her brother and gently put her hand on his shoulder.

"How's she doing?" Katara asked.

Sokka shook his head, "I don't know. I've been up all night watching her, but nothing's changed."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Katara tried to reassure him, "She's a Kyoshi Warrior."

"So were the rest," Sokka spat and pulled away from her.

"Sokka, I know what you're going through," Katara began.

"No you don't!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Yes I do," Katara said back to him, "Remember when Aang was in that coma for three weeks?"

"Well at least he wasn't going to wake up a monster," Sokka half shouted, "Suki might wake up and try and cut my throat. So, until Aang turns evil, I suggest you refrain from comparing my situation to what happened to you."

Katara was taken aback by this. She's seen her brother mad before, but never like this. But could she blame him? This was his wife, his love. She would react in the same way if Aang was lying down in Suki's place.

"I'm sorry," Katara apologized, "I came up here to tell you we arrived in port."

"Woo-hoo," Sokka cheered sarcastically.

"Silent Bob was telling me something earlier," Katara said, "He said there's an old shaman outside of the seaport named Serart. He's rumored to have been endowed with spiritual healing powers. I don't know how much it would help, but-"

Sokka stood up and stared at her, "We have to try. I'd do anything to get Suki back."

**The Kids. Jasmine Dragon. **

The kids were seated at several different tables in the Jasmine Dragon as Iroh walked to each of them and poured them their tea. He approached Rozin and as he poured the tea, Rozin looked around at the empty restaurant.

"Slow day, today?" Rozin noted.

Iroh shook his head and sat down next to his grand nephew, "Nope. Once I heard you kids were coming, I decided to close up shop."

"Isn't that bad for business?" Jian asked as she blew on her tea.

"It's not all about business," Iroh replied, "Living half way around the world, it's difficult to see my family. So I decided to take the day off to spend some time with my grand-nephews and their interesting new friends. And, I don't believe you've had the pleasure, no, the experience of tasting my tea yet. And I couldn't pass that up."

They all nodded and smiled. True, they've all heard of Iroh's legendary tea, but none of the kids, save for Rozin and Zek, have had it. Shaola looked at her tea nervously; she's never had tea before. Imports like tea were hard to come by on Kyoshi Island, and her parents weren't exactly tea drinkers. Shrugging, she gripped the cup and raised the steaming beverage to her lips.

"You're going to burn yourself that way," Zek said quietly.

She nearly jumped out of her seat, and almost spilled the tea, when she heard his voice.

"You're- you're talking to me?!" she nervously asked her crush.

Zek rolled his eyes, "I'm trying to keep you from making a fool of yourself in front of my great-uncle. There's an art to it."

"There's an art to drinking tea?" she raised her eyebrow.

Zek nodded, "Here's what you do…"

He moved closer to her, causing her to blush and hide her face. He took his cup in hand and she watched him.

"Ok, first you gently blow on it," he instructed and demonstrated, "Then you inhale, taking in the soothing aromas of the tea. It helps to close your eyes when you do it."

He closed his eyes and took a whiff of his jasmine tea.

"Then you, to complete it, you take a small sip," he closed his amber eyes and took sipped the warm liquid, "It's also good to have your eyes closed for this, too."

He relished in swallowing the warm, soothing beverage. He opened his eyes and looked at Shaola.

"Now, you try."

She nodded and attempted to imitate Zek's so-called art. Unlike Zek, she took a rather large sip and ended up burning her tongue. She winced and pulled back from her cup, setting it down on the table.

Zek chuckled, "Not as easy as it looks, hm?"

She shook her head, "I guess I'm not exactly a tea drinking person."

Zek shook his head, "If my hot-headed brother can be, then so can you. Here, we'll do it together."

She nodded and nervously picked up her cup again. Zek grabbed his and held it up in the air.

"What are you doing?" she raised her eyebrow.

"A toast," he replied.

"To what?"

"Peace, victory, good health," he shrugged, "Whatever you want."

She thought for a second then raised up her cup, "How about, to good friends?"

Zek shrugged, "Why not?"

They clanked their cups and indulged in their soothing tea.

**Sokka, Katara, Toph. Keivok Island. **

Sokka walked through streets of the town with his sister and Toph walking close by, and Jay and Silent Bob leading their way through the streets.

"How much further is it?" Sokka asked the odd duo leading the way.

Jay shrugged, "I don't know, man. I've never been there before."

Sokka stopped, "What?! I thought you guys told Katara you knew of this place!"

Jay stopped and turned around, "No. Tubby, here, told her."

Silent Bob nodded in agreement.

"How did you do that anyway?" Toph asked Katara.

Katara shrugged, "I just asked him."

"So does he know where the shaman is?" Sokka asked.

Silent Bob shook his head.

Sokka slapped his face, "Then how do you know about him?!"

"Chillax, man," Jay said, "We've never been there, but we know two fools around here who have. And we're taking you there."

Jay and Silent Bob turned back around and continued walking, with Katara and Toph following. Sokka sighed followed.

"This is turning into a wild goose chase," Sokka mumbled.

The group rounded a corner and came up to a small store on the side of the street. It was a small general store with a red hexagon painted on the wall above the door. Jay and Silent Bob stopped and showed them the door.

"Ok, this is the place," Jay said.

"So we just go in there and ask for a guy named Serart?" Sokka asked.

"Yep. They'll know who you're talking about."

Sokka nodded and walked in with Katara and Toph following behind. Two men stood behind the counter; one, a short well built man in his thirties with dark hair and a goatee that framed his mouth, the other a tall, slacker looking man with a cleft chin.

"I'm telling you," the shorter clerk said, "the Avatar was killed in Ba Sing Se when he fought Azula."

"No he wasn't," the slacker said.

"He was shot by lighting," the clerk exclaimed, "How do you survive that?"

"Are we under Fire Nation rule right now?"

"No." "Well, there you go," the slacker said and tried to end the conversation.

"He was healed by Katara's spirit water," the clerk said, "which revived him and saved the Avatar Spirit."

"Oh, would you grow up?" the slacker rolled his eyes.

The slacker turned and noticed the three of them standing in the middle of the store giving them weird looks.

"What?" the slacker asked rudely, "What do you want?"

Katara raised her eyebrow, "You call that customer service?"

"What's customer service?"

"What can we do for you?" the clerk asked.

Sokka walked up to the counter, "We need to find Serart."

The two clerks exchanged glances and turned back to the three.

"Who want's to know?" the slacker raised an eyebrow.

"We do," Sokka glared.

"And who the hell are you?" the slacker asked.

"You actually mentioned my name a second ago," Katara stepped forward.

The slacker shrugged.

"My name's Katara."

The clerk's eyes widened with shock, "_You're _Katara?!"

Katara nodded, "And if you've heard of us, then you've heard of Toph and my brother Sokka."

"Toph, yes, big fan, "the slacker nodded at Toph then turned to Sokka, "Sokka, however, never heard of."

"What?!" Sokka yelled.

"Don't get aggressive here, pal."

"Why do you need to find Serart?" the clerk asked.

"My wife, Suki, is really sick," Sokka said, "Jay and Silent Bob said you'd know him."

"Those two burnouts sent you here?" the slacker asked and rolled his eyes, "Great."

"We'll help," the clerk said.

"We will?" the slacker turned to him, "Why?"

"Because they're the Hero's of Sozin's War," the clerk replied, "We owe it to them for, I don't know, saving the world."

"I don't know," the slacker said, "How do we know these are the real guys?"

"Who would pose as them?!"

"Face Stealers," the slacker replied simply.

"There's no such thing," the clerk rolled his eyes.

"Actually there is," Katara said.

"See?" the slacker indicated her, "Straight from the Face Stealer's mouth."

"Don't they wear white makeup?" the clerk asked.

"Yeah," the slacker said and motioned at the three, "They're obviously incognito."

The clerk looked at him in disbelief, "You're an idiot."

"Always got to be right," the slacker shook his head.

The clerk turned back to them, "We'll go get him. Where do you want us to meet?"

"There's an Earth Kingdom Naval ship in the harbor," Sokka said, "Meet us there."

"Be there in an hour," the clerk said and turned to the slacker, "At least we get out of work."

The slacker shrugged, "Touché."

Katara and Toph nodded and turned to leave followed by Sokka. He really hoped this would work.

An hour later, Sokka stood at the docks waiting for the clerks to deliver on their promise. He paced around uncontrollably. He hated feeling powerless, especially for his wife's well being. All he ever wanted was to protect her from the evil thing in the world that would do her harm. He sighed and sat on a crate, and covered his face in dire attempt to alleviate his stress.

He heard a pair of footsteps approach him from the end of the dock. He picked up his head and saw a tall man wearing a hooded cloak walk towards him. Sokka stood up as the man stopped ten feet in front of him.

"You Serart?" Sokka asked.

The man removed the hood from his head and revealed his full head. His face was long and he had a goatee that jutted nearly three inches from his chin, in addition to a full mane of curly, black hair. His eyes, however, revealed somewhat of a gentle, old soul.

"Yes," Serart answered in his Zen-like, peaceful voice, and bowed, "How might I be of service?"

A few minutes later, Sokka and the shaman, Serart, walked through the dimly lit, wooden corridors of the Earth Kingdom vessel.

"So she was converted by the Order of Koh?" Serart asked as they made their way through.

"Not fully," Sokka corrected, "We managed to stop them before they could completely convert her."

"You interrupted it?!" Serart raised his eyebrow, "I'm impressed, but I fear you might have further complicated things."

They reached the door to his and Suki's cabin and Sokka stopped halfway to reaching the door handle.

"What do you mean complicate things?" Sokka asked.

"When the Face Stealers convert someone, they attempt to force out the previous soul and infuse it with a collective soul which inhabits each individual body," Serart explained, "They force the old soul back into the Spirit World and the essence of Koh takes over the body. Only one soul can inhabit a body functionally. What your wife is going through is a result of your interruption of the conversion."

"So it's my fault," Sokka grimaced.

Serart looked softly at him, "There was no alternative. If you would've let her go, she would've been taken, and her soul lost forever. You did the right thing. Now, let's go get her back."

Sokka nodded and he reached for the door handle and pushed open the door. It was now or never.

**Kya. Earth King's Palace. **

Kya fumbled around the halls of the Earth King's palace in the dark. It had to have been the middle of the night and everyone was asleep. It was a new moon outside, which meant only darkness poured through the windows. She tried her best to keep her hand on the wall and feel her way around. Unfortunately, she didn't see a small table with a vase on top. She blindly walked into it and knocked both the table and the vase on the hard tile floor with an ear shattering smash.

"Dang it," she hissed, "Why do they always make these places so dark?"

She hastily bent over and stood the table back up. She thought it was back up, but it crashed back down again. Kya cursed under her breath and stood it back up again, this time making sure it was stable before she let go.

"Gods, you make a lot of noise," Rozin said from the darkness behind her.

She jumped and turned around to see him emerge from the shadows.

"We really have to stop meeting like this," he smirked and lit some fire in his hand, illuminating the room in an orange-red light.

"No kidding," she agreed and looked around at her surroundings.

"Going to the pantry like back home?" he asked.

"Actually… no," she blushed and turned away.

Rozin raised an eyebrow, "So why are you out here?"

"Uh…," she stalled, "Out for a midnight walk, that's all."

Rozin was unconvinced, "Right…"

Kya threw her hands up in defeat, "Ok, fine! I was trying to find the bathroom. There, you happy?!"

Rozin was slightly taken aback, "Uh, I wasn't trying to interrogate you."

"Oh, right," she apologized, feeling quite embarrassed, "So do you know where it is?"

Rozin motioned his head to the left, "Come on. Sooner I get this over with, sooner I could go back to sleep."

He lead the way with Kya walking closely behind him.

**Keivok Island. **

Serart looked down at Suki lying on the bed. Sokka, Katara, and Toph stared at them anxiously. He closed his eyes and gently placed his hand on her forehead. He inhaled deeply as if summoning some unseen energy. Sokka leaned in closer to watch. Serart's breathing was steady as he concentrated his mind on getting into hers. Suddenly she twitched and he pulled his hand back. She thrashed around a few more times then stopped and lied back down, motionless.

"Did it work?" Katara asked.

Serart shook his head, "No. It's worse than I thought. Apparently the two souls, hers and the collective spirit of Koh, are at war in her mind. She's holding on, but only just. I'll have to focus all my energy to help her win this battle."

He took a deep breath and returned her hand to her forehead, this time much less gently. Suki gasped and arched her back up with her mouth agape. Serart closed his eyes and mumbled a chant under his breath with his hand clamped on her. Suki thrashed again, this time much more violently. This was definitely not Suki. The spirit of Koh was beginning to take over her. But Serart kept going. His chanting grew louder with each repetition. As his chants grew, so did Suki's thrashing. She eventually broke into convulsions and shrieked an earsplitting scream. It was no short burst scream, but more like a continuous siren. Sokka, Katara, and Toph instinctively clasped their ears shut and scrunched their faces in pain.

"Stop it!" Sokka glared at the shaman, "Can't you see you're hurting her?!"

But Serart ignored him and continued on, shouting his chants at her. She screamed and helplessly grabbed his arm to free herself, but to no avail. She let go and wildly thrashed her arms around, knocking over jug of water on the nightstand next to the bed. Serart opened his eyes and looked sternly at Suki, who looked back at him with mad, cataract eyes.

"You will leave this body NOW!" she yelled and Suki screamed one last time.

Suki gasped and sat upright, silent, for a few seconds, then slumped back down into her bed away from Serart's grasp. Serart smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

"What did you do to her?!" Sokka removed his hands and glared at the shaman.

Serart turned to him, "Saved her. She's fine, my friend."

Sokka's face brightened and he rushed over to her bedside and took her hand.

"Suki!" he looked at her with tears in his eyes.

Suki stirred and opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry at first, but it quickly came back to her. She looked over at Sokka and smiled.

"Sokka," she smiled and reached up to stroke his cheek gently.

He smiled, happier than he's ever been, and bent down to pull her into a tight embrace and kiss her passionately. Words can not describe how he was feeling and how glad he was that she was back. His worries were gone and all he could care about was holding her as close as possible.

He looked at Serart, but he was gone. Vanished. He looked around confusingly, but the shaman was nowhere to be found.

"Where'd he go?" Sokka looked at Katara and Toph.

Nether of them had noticed him leave either for they had been too focused on Suki's revival.

"I don't know," Katara walked to the door and opened it to look out in the hallway, but no one was there, "It's like he vanished."

"Sokka," Suki wearily called from below him, drawing everyone's attention off the disappeared shaman. She stared up blankly as the others looked down at her.

"What is it, baby?" Sokka asked gently.

"We have to go to the Boiling Rock," she said.

"Why?" Sokka asked, "Isn't Aang and Zuko there?"

She nodded, "They need our help."

**Rozin and Kya. Earth King's Palace. **

Rozin stood with his back against the wall of outside the bathroom door. It had taken them several minutes to find it but they got there just in time. Kya made a mad dash inside, naturally leaving Rozin outside to wait for her. He sighed and began to nod off. Only the sound of Kya's footsteps and the opening of the door jolted him awake. Kya walked out and silently shut the door behind her.

"Thanks for waiting for me," she said as they began to walk back to their rooms, "Never would've been able to find my way back in the dark."

"It's not like I had anything important to do," he replied in his way of saying you're welcome.

He lit a small fire in the palm of his hand and lead the way through the dark corridors, only this time with them walking side by side.

"Hey, Rozin?" she asked.

"Hm?"

"Um, back at the Southern Air Temple, I was talking to my mom," she began, "And she was saying something about letting me stay with you, or my cousins, over the summer."

"So are you asking to be invited," he raised an eyebrow, "or are you inviting yourself?"

"No, no. I'm asking if, maybe, next summer I could stay in the Fire Nation with you?"

"Why?" he asked, "I mean, all we do is fight. You must have other friends, or something."

She shook her head, "No, I don't. Curse of living in an abandoned temple for years."

"Oh," Rozin realized, "I'm sorry."

"It's ok," she shrugged, "I would love to spend some time there. Get to know you and you're friends."

"I don't have any friends," Rozin said quietly.

"You're the prince of the Fire Nation!" she exclaimed, "I would think you would be the most popular kid in your school."

"Well, I'm not," Rozin frowned, "I may be of royal blood, but a lot of noble families believe that blood has been tainted. And I don't really care for them anyway. Never was much of a people person."

Kya smirked, "Yeah, I could see that."

Rozin smiled and playfully shoved her. She shoved him back, and before they knew it, they were laughing their heads off in a play fight match.

They collapsed on the floor laughing. Rozin wiped a tear from his eyes and looked over at her. She may be a pain at times, but he's never had a better friend. She has been the first person outside his family to truly accept him for who he was. He was glad to have her, and for her to spend the summer with him would mean everything to him.

Kya, also, felt strangely attached to the young prince. Maybe it was their parents' close history, or maybe even, they knew each other in a past life. Whatever the reason, she felt that their friendship was for a reason. A reason neither of them could comprehend at the moment.

An explosion, behind them, shook the palace and knocked them to the ground. Rozin instinctively covered Kya and protected her from debris. They looked up through the smoke and dust and saw several figures moving in it. One figure walked through the smoke and into plain view of Rozin and Kya. It was woman their parents' age, only with her face painted bleach white. She looked down at the two of them and smiled a twisted grin.

"Well, if it isn't my little nephew," she sneered.

**A/N: Happy Independance Day out there to my fellow American readers. Hope you enjoyed, and as always be kind and rewind. **


	14. Third Strike

**Chapter 14**

**Third Strike**

**Rozin and Kya. Earth King's Palace. **

Rozin stared up at Azula incredulously with his mouth agape.

"You're Azula?!" he shouted.

"I prefer Auntie Azula," she flicked a strand of hair.

Rozin and Kya stood up defiantly in front of the evil princess. He gently pushed Kya behind him to protect her.

"Why are you here?" Rozin demanded.

"Hmm, anyone tell you you're almost exactly like your father?" she sneered, "Quick and always to the point."

"Just tell us what you want!" Kya moved from behind Rozin and glared at the firebender.

"And who might you be?" Azula cocked her head to the side.

She stared at the young waterbender for a few seconds before her face lit up and figured it out.

"Ah, you must be that Water Tribe peasant's daughter," Azula smiled, "And, I presume, the Avatar's your father?"

"Yes," she smirked, "which means I have a family history of kicking your ass."

Azula chuckled, "You're hilarious. Did your father forget so soon that I shot him with a lightning bolt, in this very city, almost ending his life? Or did he forget to tell you?"

Kya's smirk disappeared. She knew the story, of course, but, in the heat of things, forgot.

"Maybe you'd like a little reminder," Azula sneered.

Thinking quickly, Rozin reared back and fired a stream of fire from his open palm. Azula reacted and managed to block most of it, but was sent back crashing into the wall.

"Come on!" Rozin grabbed Kya's hand and ran down the hall.

Azula's Face Stealers bent over to pick her up. She looked up at them and glared.

"Capture them," she motioned at two of them.

Two Face Stealers bowed and ran off after the two kids.

"The rest of you with me," she stood up and dusted off her robe, "Kill the guards and servants, but I want those kids alive!"

They bowed and headed off in the opposite direction.

Rozin and Kya ran as fast as they could through the dark halls.

"Is anyone following us?" Kya asked.

A fireball flew through the air towards them from behind. Rozin turned around at the last second and threw himself and Kya to the ground. The fireball passed harmlessly over them and crashed into an Earth Kingdom tapestry, lighting it ablaze. Rozin looked up and saw two Face Stealers running towards them.

"That answer your question?" he turned to Kya.

They jumped up and Rozin fired two fireballs at them. The firebending Face Stealer jumped in front of his comrade and blocked the young prince's attack. The second Face Stealer jumped from behind the other and pulled a large scimitar from a sheath on his back, and charged after the two kids. Rozin shot another fireball at him, but the scimitar Face Stealer blocked them with his weapon and continued to charge after them.

"Let's see how well he can block water," Kya smirked.

She closed her eyes and extended her arms and twisted them in a waterbending motion. Rozin looked at her, then at the charging Face Stealers. They were close, twenty feet and closing. He fired a stream of fire, but the firebending Face Stealer deflected it once again. The dozen vases nearby began to shudder and tilt as Kya mustered her waterbending energy. Fifteen feet. Ten feet.

"Kya!" Rozin turned and shouted.

She opened her eyes and broke all the vases, collecting the water around her arms. She stepped forward with her right arm outstretched and her left behind her. A ribbon of water extended from her right arm and smashed into the Face Stealers, pushing them back nearly thirty feet. She retracted the water and took off running with Rozin close behind her.

They rounded a corner and Kya threw down half her water on the ground, and froze it, leaving a thin sheet of ice. Down the hall, she could hear the Face Stealers resuming their chase, and she took off.

They ran down about fifty feet and turned to see the Face Stealers as they rounded the corner. As Kya expected, the Face Stealers slipped on the nearly invisible sheet of ice and crashed through a door to a the bathroom.

Rozin turned and smirked at Kya, "Nice job."

She nodded and smiled before turning to run back down the halls. Suddenly a tall man with brown shaggy hair and a pair of hook swords jumped down from the rafters and landed in front of them. Both instinctively got in combat stance and were ready to unleash a liquidly-hot attack at the newcomer.

"Wait!" the man held his hands up, "Don't attack."

"Who are you?!" Rozin demanded.

"And why shouldn't we attack?" Kya added.

"My name's Jet," the man bowed quickly, "I'm a friend of your parents from long ago. I'm here to help, now come with me if you want to live."

Jet took off down the hall, but Rozin and Kya were hesitant on following him. Only after the sound of some very disoriented Face Stealers behind them changed their minds and made them chase after Jet.

"Wait for us!" Kya called as they ran after him.

**Aang and Zuko. Boiling Rock.**

Aang walked up to the solid, ironclad door and leaned himself against it helplessly.

"We have to figure a way out of here," Aang sighed.

"Good luck," Zuko said from the corner where he sat with his back against it, "The only way I could see us escaping is if you go into the Avatar State, but we would end up getting killed in the process."

"I know," Aang sighed and walked away from the door. He moved over and sat in the corner opposite of Zuko and covered his face.

A cloud of silence overcame them. Neither were used to the idea of defeat, but in this case, it seemed, there was no other choice. Azula's Face Stealers have overrun the prison and now she was on her way to Ba Sing Se to kill their children. Aang scowled. It couldn't end like this. It won't. As long as there was air in his lungs and a pulse in his veins, he will stop at nothing to protect his kids. He hated feeling helpless. He was the Avatar for crying out loud. He shouldn't even know that word. But here he was, stuck in a prison cell in, what might as well be, hell. Zuko was right, the Avatar State was his only option, but at what cost? He could destroy the prison and maybe, if he didn't kill himself first, escape with his life. But if he did kill himself in the process, it would be in the Avatar State, and he would not go down in history as the last Avatar.

He then thought about what Koh said about his untapped potential for Life and Energy bending. If he could control that power, it may be enough to break out of here without killing him or Zuko. But at what cost? He would possess more power than any Avatar before him, save for Avatar Jung and look what happened to him.

He glanced over at Zuko, who had gone to sleep, and decided to follow his lead. He closed his eyes to try and rest his restless mind. Within minutes he was fast asleep.

**Katara, Sokka, Toph, Suki. Earth Kingdom Ship. **

Katara stood at the bow of the ship en route to the Boiling Rock. She knew it was stupid, but she felt the compulsive need to be at the very front of the ship, as close to Aang as she could possibly be. She hated being far away from him. Even during the war, she was usually no more than a few feet away from him. And during their marriage, he would rarely leave her presence, unless his Avatar duties required him to be elsewhere and she had to stay with the kids. But in the last few weeks, she had barely any time to be with the love of her life. This was supposed to be a vacation. They were supposed to be done with their heroic, glory days. Her and her friends and their families were supposed to relax and enjoy their time together. Not be separated on different parts of the globe. It wasn't fair.

She heard some footsteps approach from behind her and she turned to see her brother, Suki, and Toph walk up.

"Hey Katara," Toph waved and leaned up against the rail.

"How far away are we?" Katara looked at her brother.

"Captain said two, maybe three if the weather holds out," Sokka answered, "Don't worry, we'll get there in time."

"What if it isn't?" Katara exclaimed, "What if Aang was converted like the people on Kyoshi?"

Suki winced upon hearing her mention her home. She still wasn't completely over her traumatic experience and still suffered shell shock from the whole ordeal. Katara noticed her looking down mournfully.

"Sorry, Suki," she apologized.

"It's ok," Suki said, "I know it's too late for my people, but we must prevent this from happening to others."

Sokka put her hand on her shoulder comfortingly, "We will."

"And with help from Mai and the Fire Navy, we should have no trouble stopping those Separatist pigs," Toph stated.

"And Azula," Suki added.

"Azula?!" Katara asked.

"When they were converting me," Suki explained, "I saw into the thoughts of the collective spirit of Koh and I saw Azula. She's there and she's leading the Order of Koh."

Sokka nodded, "So we have more reason than any to stop this before it's too late."

"So what if Aang and Zuko were converted?" Katara asked fearfully.

Suki shook her head, "No. I saw all the faces of the souls stolen. Aang and Zuko weren't among them. If they're alive, they're free."

Katara turned back to face the horizon hopelessly, "I hope you're right."

**Rozin, Kya, Jet. Earth King's Palace.**

Jet quickly led them through the halls of the Earth King's palace. They somehow managed to loose those two Face Stealers a few minutes ago, but they weren't out of danger yet. They figured the whole palace had to be crawling with these guys by now and they could be around any corner. Luckily Jet, who was used to sneaking around in enemy territory, was able to keep quiet and out of view from any Face Stealers. Every now and then, though, they would hear the frantic cries of a servant or palace guard, which alerted them and kept them on their toes.

Jet turned and rounded a corner and opened a closet door.

"Inside," he held it open for them, "Quick!"

Rozin and Kya didn't second guess him and followed his orders instinctively. Once inside, Jet silently closed the door.

"Um, Jet," Rozin said as he looked around at the tiny closet they were in, "I don't mean to criticize, but hiding in the closet isn't exactly the most secretive place."

Jet made no response and simply jumped up and knocked down an air vent cover above them. Rozin and Kya looked up and saw a wooden grated door hanging on a pair of hinges, which covered the air vents above them.

He looked at Kya and lowered his hands to giver her a boost, "Here, you first."

Kya nodded and placed one foot in the palms of his hands. Jet stood up and effortlessly hoisted her up into the air vent. She grabbed the edge and pulled herself into the narrow tunnel.

Jet nodded at Rozin and repeated the same move. Once up, Rozin pulled himself into the air vent with help from Kya. He rolled over, securely in the tunnel.

Next, Jet looked up and, as if his legs were made of springs, he jumped high into the air like a grasshopper. He grabbed the edges of the air vent and swung his legs into the tunnel, and rolled the rest of him in. He quickly reached back down and pulled close the door.

"Ok," he exhaled, "We should be safe, for now."

Rozin lit some fire in the palm of his hand and dimly illuminated the narrow vents. He looked around curiously.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"Still in the palace," Jet said, "We're in the air vents. They use this to circulate air in from the outside. It was the only way to get in undetected."

"Why did you save us?" Kya asked.

"I've been following you guys since the Southern Air Temple," Jet replied, "I infiltrated the Order of Koh a few months ago. Thought it was some new Fire Nation threat, but I learned quickly that it wasn't. But I decided to stay there in case it turned into something big. Once I heard the children of the Avatar and Fire Lord Zuko, I realized my calling was elsewhere."

He sighed and looked directly at the kids, "I knew both your parents back in the war. Your mother," he motioned at Kya, "Was one of the best people to have entered my life. I thought I was a freedom fighter, but she quickly made me realize I was becoming a terrorist. If she and your father hadn't come along, I would've killed hundreds of innocent."

He turned to Rozin, "I knew your father, too."

Rozin cringed, "He didn't, like, try to kill you or anything, did he?"

Jet smirked at the irony, "Actually, it was the opposite. I tried to kill him once. Lee, I mean, Zuko was a refugee in Ba Sing Se at the same time as I was. At one point I was convinced he was a firebender secretly living in the city. I was so blinded by my racism towards the Fire Nation that it nearly cost me my life. It wasn't some firebender that would almost cost my life, but an agent of the Earth King himself. It was only later I learned Lee was Zuko. And when I saw he allied with the Avatar to end the war, I realized that my blind hatred for the Fire Nation was null and void. So, I put aside everything I has against them and decided only to protect my friends and their families."

Rozin and Kya were amazed at the detail of his little monologue. He must've waited a long time to tell someone that. Neither of them really knew much about their parents' pasts, other than simple summarization from them, or what they read in the school textbooks. It was rare to hear about their histories from someone else.

"So your were part of the Order of Koh?" Rozin asked.

Jet nodded, "I infiltrated it."

"How did you go without getting detected?" Kya asked.

Jet shrugged, "Simple, really. I observed them for quite some time. You have a lot of time on your hands when the world thinks you're dead. After I noticed how they moved as one, all I needed was some face paint and I was in."

"So what do they want with us?" Rozin asked.

Jet shook his head, "I honestly don't know. You were mentioned quite a bit, and I knew they were coming after you, but other than that I don't know. They communicate psychically with Koh so, naturally, I had no idea what was going on. All I knew was that I had to make sure you kids were ok. So now what I'm going to do is lead you guys out of here in one piece."

"Not without the rest of us," Rozin stated.

Jet shook his head, "No. Only saving you two, the Avatar's daughter and the Fire Prince, is essential."

"Why us?!" Kya exclaimed.

"The Fire Prince is essential to the continuation of the Fire Nation," Jet explained, "And, you being the Avatar's daughter, has the utmost importance of carrying on Aang's bloodline. You are the only hope for balance in the world. Believe me, this war will suffer massive casualties and I won't watch as they kill, or worse, convert you." "I have a brother," Rozin said.

"Me too," Kya added.

"And our friends deserve a chance," Rozin said.

"I can't pick favorites," Jet explained, "I picked you two because, after civilization falls, you are going to be the key leaders of the new world."

"Wait," Rozin held up his hand, "What do you mean civilization's going to end?"

"If Koh has his way, it will," Jet said mournfully, "He's been planning this since the end of Sozin's War. Azula, the Face Stealers, the Separatists. They're all just pawns. Koh has big plans for the end of the world."

"Which is why we need to save as many people to fight these guys," Rozin said defiantly.

"I can't do that," Jet replied.

"You can't," Rozin said, "But we can."

He turned and crawled past him and Kya, "Come on, Kya."

She looked at Jet for a moment, then shook her head and joined up with Rozin.

"If you really want to ensure our survival," Rozin shouted at Jet behind him, "then you should come with us and protect us while we rescue our friends."

Jet scowled. He really didn't want to be put in this position, but it was the only way to achieve his goal of survival. He rolled over and crawled behind the two kids. He pushed past Kya and stopped in front of Rozin.

"You can't stop me!" Rozin tried to push past him, but Jet grabbed his wrist.

"You're too much like your father for your own good," Jet smirked, "I'll lead the way."

Rozin smiled and looked back at Kya, who smiled as well, and turned back to follow Jet.

**Jian, Zek, Shaola, Lao, Lin, Ahmo, and Dao. Earth King Palace. **

A Face Stealer swung at Jian with a katana. She quickly blocked it and locked swords with her long sword**. **She quickly pushed away and kicked him in the side of the head.

They were ambushed in the middle of the night. Lucky for them, Lin heard them before they could be killed in their sleep. She and the other older kids, Zek, Shaola, Lin, and Lao, fended off the attacking Face Stealers. Ahmo and Dao were barricaded in the room behind them on the count of their young age. And with no one else to help them, they were left alone.

"Where's Rozin and Kya?!" Jian yelled as she front kicked an attacker.

"The hell should I know?" Zek threw a pair of darts at a Face Stealer, causing him to go down.

"Probably making out," Lao stated as he kicked up a boulder and punched it at a small group of Face Stealers.

Another Face Stealer jumped forward and shot forward a stream of flames at them. Lao quickly earthbended a wall which deflected them from the flames.

"Figures they're gone when we actually need them," Lao rolled his eyes.

The rock wall splintered and cracked then exploded, sending the kids flying back. Lin stabilized herself and earthbended two rock pillars at the earthbending Face Stealer, who was promptly knocked back several dozen feet. She smirked wickedly at her accomplishment and planted both her feet squarely on the ground. She quickly extended her arm and an array of rocks covered her and formed a geo-suit. She rushed at the first two Face Stealers she saw and quickly knocked them out cold with her rock-hard fists. She smirked and turned to the next one, lifted him up effortlessly and threw him across the room. A firebender made the mistake of attacking her and she dealt with him quickly by grabbing his arm in a vice grip and throwing him straight into the wall.

An earthbender quickly ran up to Lin and punched her geo-suit, breaking it and knocking Lin to the ground hard. The Face Stealer smirked at Lin and levitated a boulder over his head, when Zek jumped into action and threw a dart right into the side of his neck. The Face Stealer clutched his bleeding neck and lost his concentration, causing him to drop the boulder on his head. Dazed, he fell to his face with a thud.

Zek smirked, "Bullseye!"

He ran over and offered Lin a hand to help her up, but she simply shoved him out of the way with her earthbending and pulled herself up.

Zek shook his head, "You're welcome."

A Face Stealer with razor claws jumped at Zek, but was blocked by Shaola and her sai. She crossed her twin blades and kicked the Face Stealer in the abdomen, causing him to recoil back a few feet.

"No, don't mind me," Shaola said sarcastically, "We're just in the middle of a huge battle here."

She took her look off the Face Stealer and eyed Zek, who smiled. She smiled back and, unbeknownst to her, the Face Stealer she'd just laid out sprung back at her. Zek reacted quickly and threw the last of his darts: one in the chest, one in the thigh. The Face Stealer grunted and fell to the floor. Shaola looked behind her and was surprised at Zek's accuracy.

"Nice shot," she congratulated, "Is he… dead?"

Zek shook his head, "Knocked out. He'll wake up with a headache the size of a badger-mole in an hour, though."

**Rozin, Kya, Jet. **

Jet lead them through the air vents and they found themselves above the battlefield. Jet turned and motioned for Rozin and Kya to come forward.

"There they are," Jet whispered.

They looked down and saw their friends and family fighting off a horde of Face Stealers. They seemed to be doing alright and had, by that time, taken out the majority of the Face Stealers.

"Where's Ahmo and Dao?" Kya whispered.

Rozin shrugged, "Probably locked in the room. They seem to be defending it."

They watched as Jian sliced a Face Stealer across the chest and turn to the next one. All of them were fighting as if they've been doing it for years.

Even Jet was impressed, "They seem to be doing alright."

Then there was an explosion of blue flames from the other side of the bedroom door which drew everyone's attention. The battle stopped and everyone, including the Face Stealers, turned to the door. Rozin and Kya shifted their position to see what was happening.

Out of the smoke, two little figures walked through it and into the room. It was Dao and Ahmo.

"What are-" Jian began but was cut off by a third person.

Azula walked into the room holding both boys by the shoulder.

"Look what I found," she smiled wickedly to her amusement.

Jian pointed her sword at her, "Let them go. Now!"

"I don't think so," Azula glared, "Unless you want these two youngsters to die before their time, you will lay down your weapons and cease with the bending. It's over."

They looked at each other, exchanging unspoken words of morose of their current situation. They nodded in silent agreement and those with weapons threw them down with distain in their eyes.

Azula smiled satisfyingly, "I thought you would come to your senses."

She pushed the two boys to the floor, hard. Jian and Shaola rushed to help them up. Jian looked up at Azula disgustingly.

"Nobody treats my brother that way," Jian spat dangerously.

She charged at Azula, but the psychotic former princess quickly reached up and pressed her razor sharp fingernails under her chin. Jian stopped as the fingernails pressed into her skin and drew blood.

"You really want to go there with me?" she stared down the young teenager, "You have guts, I give you that. But crossing _me_ will most likely result in a funeral for _you._"

Azula grabbed her throat and threw her to the ground, "Get them all out of here. I believe they have an appointment with Koh, and I'd hate for them to be late."

The Face Stealers bowed and grabbed each of the kids to lead them away. Within minutes, the kids and Face Stealers were gone. Only Azula was left standing there.

"We have to go down there," Kya whispered.

"And do what?" Jet asked, "You're no match for her. None of us are."

"We can't leave them like this," Kya hissed.

Azula cocked her head up, thinking she heard a sound.

"We have to try," Kya pleaded.

Jet frowned. He knew that this wasn't going to work.

"Come on, Jet-" Rozin clamped his hand over Kya's mouth.

"Shh!" he hissed.

Rozin released his hand and pointed down at Azula. Her head was still cocked up. Did she hear them? Neither of them dared to take a breath, let alone move a muscle.

Finally, after what seemed like days, Azula lowered her head and walked off. The three of them held their breaths and refused to move until Azula's footsteps could no longer be heard.

"Ok," Jet said, "We jump down there, follow Azula quietly, and we should be able to find your friends. If they're dead or beyond rescue, we leave. No questions. Got it?"

Rozin and Kya nodded.

Jet gently pried open the grate, but as it came loose it made a large squeak causing everyone to tense with fear. Jet paused and waited, expecting to get fried by Azula's signature blue flames. They waited. Nothing happened. Jet sighed and opened the grate the rest of the way. He dropped down silently and looked around to make sure the coast was clear. He looked up and motioned for the other two to come down.

Rozin and Kya landed on the ground quiet as a mouse. They, too looked around and made sure there was no one there. The breathed as no one was around.

Jet nodded, "Good, now let's-"

"- get captured," Azula said as she walked from behind a corner.

A dozen Face Stealers swarmed and surrounded them, preventing them from escaping. All three of them looked around frantically for an exit, but there was none. It was over. They couldn't fight their way out, even if they tried.

"Surrendering would be a good ideal," Azula insisted.

They lowered their arms silently as the Face Stealers grabbed their arms and lead them away.

**Katara, Sokka, Toph, Suki, Mai, Ty Lee. Boiling Rock Docks.**

Mai and Ty Lee stood at the docks of the Boiling Rock and watched as the Earth Kingdom ship made berth. The ramp was lowered and Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Suki barreled down it.

"Mai," Katara greeted, "What's going on? Where's Aang and Zuko?"

"Calm down," Mai held up her hand, "We're ready to stage the attack."

"How'd you get here so fast anyway?" Sokka asked.

"That would be my doing," a fifteen year old young man said as he walked down the ramp of Mai's airship, "I retrofitted the engines of this thing to make it fly twice as fast."

"I believe you've all met my brother, Tom-Tom," Mai introduced.

"Just Tom," he corrected.

"I think the last time we saw you, you could fit in my arms," Katara smiled.

"Tom's leading the attack on the Boiling Rock," Mai informed everyone, "Also he claims to have technical expertise in addition to his firebending."

"I don't claim to have anything," Tom said, "I _do _have technical expertise."

"I _would _like to take a look at those engines later on," Sokka rubbed his chin and admired his work.

"No problem," Tom shrugged, "After we finish the mission, or course. You guys coming, or what?"

The four of them nodded.

"Let's do this," Katara glared up at the prison.

**Aang's Dream. **

_Aang was in the middle of the Earth King's palace. It was blurry and foggy. Only dark shadows and mist filled the seemingly abandoned corridors. He walked forward and scanned the area around him. _

"_Hello?" he called out, "Anyone here?"_

"Aang!"_ a voice echoed through the halls. _

_Aang looked around. There was no one there. He turned forward and jumped back at what he saw. Thousands of disembodied faces surrounded him. _

"Aang," _they all called at once, "_help us!"

"_Who are you people?" Aang turned around frantically, "Where am I?!"_

"Save us!" _they all called out and began to close in around him. _

_Aang looked around, fearfully. As the faces closed in, he pushed past them and ran down the corridor. The faces floated and chased after him. He jumped and ran through every twist and turn that he came across in the seemingly endless maze. _

_He finally came across a door. A large, thick oak door. He looked behind him and saw the faces coming after him. Thinking quickly he kicked down the door and ducked inside. He quickly turned and slammed the door shut, blocking out the faces. _

_Aang sighed for the faces did not follow him. _

"_Dad?" Kya's voice said from behind him. _

_Aang narrowed his eyes and turned around. Kya stood behind with her back to him along with the other kids. _

"_Kya?" he walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. _

_She didn't respond, but she did turn around. Aang nearly jumped back when he saw her face. It was not his daughter's face that greeted him, but Azula's painted white face. She grinned up maliciously at him. _

"_Hello, Daddy," she said, this time in Azula's voice. _

_The others turned around and also had Azula's face. Aang, terrified, backed up against the wall as the kids closed in around him. _

"_Dad!" his daughter's voice said to his right. _

_He looked to his right and saw his daughter's face pasted onto the wall along with the other kids'. They all looked at him as the kids' bodies closed around him. _

"Join us, Avatar," _the kids and the Azulas said in unison, _"Join us. Join us. Join us."

_The voices repeated the same two words, driving Aang mad with fear and anger. _

"_Stop it!" Aang yelled, "Stop it!"_

_Aang looked up and saw the ghostly face of Koh materialize over the bodies. _

"_Join us, Aang," Koh said, "It is the only way."_

"_No," Aang shook his head, "No, no, no. No!"_

**Aang and Zuko. The Boiling Rock. **

Aang woke up and screamed, "No!"

Zuko shot up wearily, "Huh, what?"

Suddenly Aang's eyes and tattoos glowed into a blazing white light. His fists clenched tight enough to crumple an iron girder and his body began to levitate freely in the air.

"Aang…" Zuko backed up as all the loose articles in the room began to pick up and swirl around.

Aang looked up with his blazing white eyes and raised his arm up. A bright, white light grew and charged in the palm of his hand as the energy grew. Then, with effortless power, he let the energy burst forward and fired at the door. The door didn't burst on impact, but the ray of light stayed focused on it, slowly heating and melting the iron cast door.

"Aang!" Zuko stood up and tried to run to Aang, but was blocked in by a bubble of light.

Zuko punched a few times at the bubble to break it, but to no avail. He looked up at Aang in the Avatar State. Suddenly the door burst open in an explosion that shook the prison. Aang retracted the energy and formed a swirling aura of the same white light around him. It was as if he was charging it for an even bigger attack. Four Face Stealers rushed up to the entrance. Aang looked at them and glared in such a way that could strike fear into the bravest man in the world. He then closed his eyes and extended his arms and legs. The white light around him expanded quickly and consumed everything around him, save for Zuko. The Face Stealers were vaporized before they even had a chance to escape. The whole cell block destabilized and vanished into nothing as the sphere of light grew. After the cell block, the rest of the building disappeared in the white light. The light consumed everything it came in contact with: metal, mortar, and every living person.

Aang finally released the light and it dissipated into the air. He then shot up into the air, hundreds of feet over the prison, glaring down as the Face Stealers looked up at him in horror.

"What do you want us to do, Cesso?" a Face Stealer turned to his commander.

Cesso couldn't say anything. He has never seen anything like this before. It was amazing, and terrifying at the same time.

Aang stretched his hand to the boiling water below him. He twisted his wrist several times to churn the steaming water. It churned and churned as Aang turned it into a swirling waterspout. He bended it high above his head and sent it crashing down into the middle of the prison yard, flooding it, along with several dozen Face Stealers, with the scalding water. The Face Stealers screamed in pain and agony, desperately trying to evade the boiling flood.

Zuko looked up in awe as Aang displayed this incredible power. He heard a slight tapping of metal behind him and he turned to see Katara crawling up to their cell. He rushed over to help her up and together they watched Aang's wrath and destruction.

"What's going on?" she yelled over the chaos.

"I don't know," Zuko yelled, "We were sleeping and all the sudden he went crazy."

"I have to try and stop him," she yelled and took off to try and calm him down.

"Be careful!" Zuko called to her as she ran off.

Aang looked down and spied Cesso standing on the balcony looking up at him in horror. He glared and flew faster than meteorite falling through the sky. He landed on the balcony, denting and burning the metal beneath him. Cesso cowered back to the wall in fear as the other Face Stealer tried to run for his life. Aang caught this out of the corner of his eye and shot a ray of light, vaporizing him instantly. He turned back to Cesso and reached down and grabbed him by the throat. He pulled him up to his eye level and glared at him through his teeth.

"Please, Avatar," Cesso begged, "show mercy!"

"Mercy?!" Aang repeated back in a disembodied voice, "Did you show my family mercy?! Do you show anyone mercy?!"

Cesso trembled with fear and could not muster a response.

"You shall see no mercy!" Aang roared.

Aang raised his hand and materialized the white light. He charged it up and began to unleash his fury on Cesso. At the last second, Katara ran up and grabbed his arm as he swung towards the Face Stealer.

"Aang, no!" she pulled his arm away.

Aang looked at her and growled. He threw Cesso to the ground, knocking him unconscious, and turned to Katara.

Katara, however, was unmoved, "Aang, I know you can hear me. You have to stop this. I'm here. I'm safe. We're safe. Please, stop this!"

She put her hand lovingly on his cheek. Aang, however, remained unchanged and still possessed by all his anger and fury. She was at the point of desperation, but still had one thing she could try. She gently pulled him in closer to her and kissed him reassuringly on the lips. Slowly, but surely, Aang's fury began to subside and eventually the chaos around him ceased and he returned to normal. Aang, back in his normal state, closed his eyes and melted into her loving kiss. Katara opened her eyes and gently pulled away causing Aang to open his eyes and gaze into hers.

"It's ok, Aang," she whispered, "I'm here."

She pulled him into an embrace, something the both of them had been longing for days now.

As much as he hated it, he had to pull away. Katara looked at him confusingly.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"We have to go to Ba Sing Se," he stated, "The kids, they're in danger."

**A/N: Don't you just love cliffhangers? The end is near with only two, or so, more chapters left. So enjoy. Peace!**


	15. The Defiant part 1

**Chapter 15**

**The Defiant part 1  
**

**The Boiling Rock. **

Aang, Katara, and Zuko ran down the steps to the docks where everyone waited for them.

"Ok, I'm going to be the first to ask what the hell happened down there?" Tom said as the three of them walked up to the docks.

Aang and Katara said nothing and brushed past the bewildered teen.

"What did I say?" he asked as Zuko walked up to them.

"The Avatar State happened," Zuko answered.

"Ah," Tom nodded.

Mai ran up to Zuko and they pulled each other in a comforting, protective embrace.

"You ok?" she asked and looked over him. His face and body were still bloody by the cuts Azula gave him earlier, "What… what happened to you?!"

Zuko held her closer, "It doesn't matter."

He looked over at Tom, "This is the fastest airship in the fleet, right?"

"My baby," he gestured to it, "Yeah. Not fast enough for you?"

"We'll find out soon," Zuko said, "Get her ready."

"Head a course to Ba Sing Se," Aang ordered flatly.

Tom understood the seriousness of their voices and nodded, then ran up the ramp to the airship as he shouted orders for the crew.

"Zuko, why are we going to Ba Sing Se?" Mai asked.

Zuko was silent. He took a deep breath and informed Mai and the others what he knew. He didn't want to word a lengthy response. Only one word would do.

"Azula," he growled under his breath.

Everyone's faces grew pale and no one uttered a word. Fear had hold over all of them. The very fact that Azula was now in a position to do harm to their families was enough to shake them to the very core. She has been after them for weeks now, but she finally got what she wanted. The kids were alone on the other side of the world. How could they let this happen?

Aang finally looked up, "I'm getting my glider. I can move much faster on my own."

"Aang, it's on the other side of the world," Sokka tried to reason, "You need to save your strength."

"I have plenty of strength!" Aang yelled, "Did you not just see me level an entire prison?! I can take on Azula and the entire world if I have to, to get my kids back!"

"Ok, ok," Sokka held up his hands in defeat.

The roar from the engines of the airship turned on and boomed across the whole port. Zuko turned to the rest and nodded, motioning them to board. They said their good bye's and good luck's to Aang before boarding. Zuko was the last to board, and turned to nod at Aang who nodded back. Zuko then turned and hurried up the ramp to the airship. He disappeared inside and the ramp hissed shut. The ropes holding the ship to the docks were retracted and the giant airship levitated off the ground and took off into the air.

Aang pulled out his bison whistle and called for Appa. Katara looked at him worryingly as a tear dripped from her eye. She was truly scared. Scared for her kids, and her husband's new, terrifying power. But she knew him well enough to know that he was doing all this to save his family. For that, she wasn't worried. Aang looked at her softly, yet reassuringly. Nothing else mattered to him at this point. Only keeping his family safe. He pulled her in and held her close.

Appa landed with a roar. They both glanced at him, then returned their eyes to each other.

"Be careful," she whispered and pulled him into a long, passionate kiss.

He held on for what seemed like hours, trying to savor every second of what could be their last kiss. He had to force himself to let go. He stared into her ocean, blue, sapphire eyes as if there was nothing else in the world.

"I promise," he gave her a quick peck on the lips, "I love you."

He had to strain himself to pull his hands from her, it was as if they were glued together. He took a step back and jumped up to Appa's saddle. He reached down and picked up his staff, throwing it in the air and letting it unfold into the glider. Aang jumped and grabbed on to the handles, and flew off into the sky.

Katara watched him go and disappear into the distance before climbing on board Appa. She took his reigns and gently nudged him behind the ear.

"Yip, yip," she yelled and Appa took off with a thunderous roar.

Aang flew past the airship with incredible speed. Once clear, he took one look back to make sure he had enough distance between them and took a deep breath. His eyes and tattoos flashed white and he exhaled. As he let loose his breath, a cyclonic gust of wind picked up behind him and propelled him forward three times as fast as he would normally fly. He looked down at the ocean below him as it turned into nothing more than a mere azure blur. He picked his head up and focused on that ever nearing horizon with fierce determination on his face. Azula hasn't won. She will never win so long as he was alive.

**Airship Cockpit. **

They watched in awe as Aang disappeared into the distance in a matter of seconds. As soon as Aang disappeared, they looked to their right and saw Appa and Katara pass by them at incredible speed. Zuko frowned and turned to his brother in law.

"What gives?" Zuko shouted, "I thought you said this thing was fast."

Tom smirked, "Hang on to your butts."

He reached up and pulled a lever. The airship shook, nearly throwing everyone to the ground.

Outside the booster rockets on the sides of the airship fired to life.

Tom pushed the lever forward. The rockets flared up even more, this time more concentrated and focused. The airship rocketed forward, far faster than it's slow moving, limbering counterparts.

Zuko and the others pulled themselves up and looked at Tom, shockingly. Tom carried a cocky grin. He loved showing off his knowledge of technology and mechanics.

"We'll be there in no time, Zu," Tom reassured his brother in law.

"How far will this carry us?" Sokka asked.

"The Petoula Mountain Range, if we're lucky," Tom replied, "Then, we'll need to refuel."

"Refuel?" Zuko raised his eyebrow, "We don't have that kind of time."

"Well, if you like, we could walk to Ba Sing Se from the mountains," Tom rolled his eyes.

"Remember who you're talking to!" Zuko raised his voice.

"I do. In front of the troops and stuff, I treat you like a Fire Lord," Tom stated, "But there's no troops in here. So, I can treat you like my brother in law."

"Why refuel?" Sokka asked.

"Because we'll come crashing down if we don't," Mai replied.

"No," Sokka shook his head, "This ship is full of firebenders, right?"

"Naturally," Mai rolled her eyes.

"Can't we use them to fuel the rockets?" Sokka suggested.

Tom nodded his head and rubbed his chin, contemplating his suggestion, "Not a bad idea. Your friend here's cool, Zu."

"Ha!" Sokka turned to Suki, "See? Told you I'm cool."

"Right," she rolled her eyes in amusement, "You're the epitome of cool to sixteen year old gear heads."

"Hey!" both Sokka and Tom shouted at the same time.

"Whatever," Suki shrugged, "Just get us there as fast as possible."

"I agree," Zuko nodded and turned to exit the cockpit. Mai watched him and followed him out.

**The Earth King's Palace. **

Rozin, Kya, and Jet were led by the Face Stealers through the halls of the once safe palace, as Azula walked behind with her ever watchful eyes trained on them. They rounded a corner and Azula halted them.

"Send Jet upstairs," she instructed, "He has a different fate than the kids."

"Jet!" Kya called as he got pushed off in a different direction.

"It'll be alright, Kya," he replied sadly and was pushed up the stairs.

"Why do you even care about him anyway?" Azula smirked, "He's the one who set you up to be in this situation."

Kya shook her head, "No. You're lying!"

"Azula…" Jet said.

"He helped us escape from your Face Stealers," Rozin exclaimed, "Why would he do that if he was on your side?"

"While he's not technically on our side," Azula flicked a strand of hair away from her face, "he did provide us the information for you two for a hefty payment."

"She's lying!" she yelled and looked at Jet for reassurance, "Right?"

Jet turned his head away in shame.

"Jet?" she asked again, this time not so sure of his loyalties.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

To say Kya felt betrayed was an understatement. She was so mixed with anger and hatred for him. Why would he do this? He knew their parents, yet he betrayed them and literally handed their kids over to Azula.

"Aw, is the little waterbender sad?" Azula teased. "Don't worry, in an hour, you won't even remember him."

Kya looked up at her and gave her a death glare that took Azula back, "Let me go you psychotic, crazy, bitch!"

Azula silently walked up to Kya and stared fiery daggers at her. Kya was unmoved and showed off her parents' defiant trait proudly. Azula smirked and slapped Kya across her face.

"You do that again and you'll have me to deal with!" Rozin threatened.

Azula glanced at her nephew, "Such tall talk for a little person. You maybe my nephew, Rozin, but let me tell you this: I am not afraid to gut you where you stand. You hear me?"

Rozin glared and nodded, "Whatever."

Azula turned to the Face Stealers, "Take them to the Chamber."

"You have a Chamber?" Rozin raised his eyebrow.

"Get them out of here!" she commanded.

The Face Stealers nodded and obeyed, carrying off Rozin and Kya to the Chamber where the others awaited them.

She stood there and smoothed out her black robes and a Face Stealer ran up. He stopped before her bowed.

"What is it?" she spat.

"Long Feng and the other Separatists are here, you're Greatness," he held his head low in respect.

She was about to respond, but a high, piercing sound rang in her ears. She knew instantly what it was and her face displayed a slight bit of fear. Her breath and pulse quickened as her head began to pound with a headache. She turned back to the Face Stealer.

"Very well," she nodded, "You know what to do."

The Face Stealer nodded bolted off.

Azula nervously rubbed her temples and tried to regulate her breathing. She quickly rushed into the nearest room, and slammed and locked the doors behind her.

She looked around quickly to make sure no one was in there with her. The room was clear, so she instantly dropped to her knees and bowed. For a second it looked as if she was bowing down to no one, but then the ghastly white face of Koh materialized in front of her.

"My Master," she lowered her head against the floor.

"My faithful servant, Azula," Koh glared down at her, "Do you know why I called you here?"

Azula shook her head, "No, Master."

"Why are you so focused on converting the Heroes' kids?" Koh asked.

"To further our efforts in the war," Azula answered.

"Your orders were clear," Koh reminded her, "It was to simply build me an army of Face Stealers."

"And it's being done, my Lord," she replied, "The children are being converted as we speak."

"Nine souls mean nothing to me!" Koh roared, "You focused all your time on a personal vendetta against the Avatar and his friends, when you were supposed to be secretly building me my army."

"It was part of the plans," Azula said fearfully.

"_Your _plans!" Koh boomed, "You deviated from _my _plans. For thirteen years you prayed for my help, and I gave it to you. I promised you eternal life and power over the Earth, in exchange that you would heed and orchestrate my plans. You could've easily became just another Face Stealer, but I let you retain your soul. Maybe someone else should be in charge, seeing as you're turning this into a personal revenge."

"I assure you, Master, my plans are in motion," Azula stated, "As soon as the Avatar is out of the way, your plans will come into fruition."

"The Avatar does not concern me," Koh stated, "Leave him to me. The others are mortal. Convert them, or kill them. Those are your options. Do you feel you can carry out those orders?"

Azula sank her head lower, "Yes, my Master."

Koh grinned and disappeared.

**Zuko and Mai. The Airship. **

Zuko threw open the door to the captain's quarters and stormed in, slamming the door shut with a large thud. He briefly surveyed the dimly, red lit room and walked to and sat at the foot of the bed. He threw off his shirt and leaned back against the wall. As Fire Lord, showing emotion was viewed to be something of weakness. He was supposed to be stern, strict, fair. A true leader un-swayed by emotions. But, as a father, he couldn't help but feel concerned for his kids. He couldn't imagine what they were going through right now. Sure he lived with Azula when she was a manipulative sociopath, but, now, she's a changed person. And not like how he changed those years ago. She's changed for the worse. Maybe prison wasn't the best thing for her. She was sick and confused. Maybe in a different life she could've changed for the better, but she chose her path. And now he's paying the consequences.

Mai knocked on the door and creaked it open.

"Zuko?" she asked quietly, not wanting to disrupt him from his thoughts, "Can I come in."

He looked over at her, melancholy written all across his face. Normally he didn't want anyone to distract him from his thoughts, but Mai was always the exception. He nodded and she came in fully and closed the door behind her.

"You ok, babe?" she walked over and sat next to him.

Mai gently put her hand on his shoulder and traced his cuts with her fingernails. She was renown for being cold and distant from most people, but she always had a soft spot for Zuko. Most of the time she knew how to comfort him, however, she had no idea how to comfort him with this. Truth was, she too was hurting. She loved her two sons just as much as Zuko did and it killed her to think of them going through the same torture that he recently went through, or worse.

"Mai?" Zuko asked quietly, "Do you… do you think they're alright?"

She was silent, "I don't know. They're both strong, smart young men. Rozin's got your 'never give up' attitude."

Zuko smirked, "And Zek's got your accuracy."

Mai snickered, "They will be alright. They are our kids after all. We taught them to never give up without a fight, and they will do that."

Zuko nodded and Mai stroked his cheek gently. He gazed over at her and leaned in to kiss her. They both needed comfort and reassurance, and only they could give it to each other.

**Azula. The Palace. **

Azula opened the door to the Earth King's quarters and walked in, shutting the rather elegant door behind her. She sat down at the edge of the over sized bed and looked around at the vibrant green and gold room. It has been over thirteen years since she was last in there. For three weeks she stayed in this very room after she conquered Ba Sing Se in the name of the Fire Nation, and her father. The old days. A part of her missed those days. She was loved and adored by her people and had everything she ever wanted. Now what was she? Sure she was respected, well, feared. She had more power than ever before, but that was not enough for her. She was still second. She's always second. Second born, second in command to her father, and now second to a feared deity. Even if she did reach immortality, she would still be under the thumb of the Face Stealer himself. She wanted control, to rule over others for all time, so that she can prove she can be the perfect person. Prove herself as someone who wasn't second to anyone. Immortality is the epitome of perfection of humanity. Death is a feat no one has been able to achieve, and if she could be the first person to conquer that feat, everyone will bow to her; worship her as a goddess.

Someone knocked on the door, interrupting her from her thoughts.

"Who is it?!" she spat.

A Face Stealer opened the door cautiously, "Your Greatness, the bounty hunter is here to see you."

She nodded and waved him away, "Send him in."

The Face Stealer bowed and walked away. Azula stood up and smoothed out her hair. Perfection, even in appearance, was essential to her psyche.

The door pushed open all the way and the bounty hunter walked in. Azula smiled.

"Well done, Jet," Azula smirked, "I knew using you to track down the kids would play to my advantage."

Jet's face was emotionless, "Where's my money?"

"Money?"

Jet nodded, "I betrayed my friends' kids to do your dirty work. I don't do volunteer work anymore."

"I thought we established your terms earlier," she said as she walked over to King Haru's liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of brandy, "I guarantee your life and freedom, in exchange that you do one little chore for me."

"Right, but we also talked about the one thousand gold pieces," Jet lowered his gaze, "I want my money."

She sighed, "Fine, you want your money?'

Jet nodded.

She set down the bottle and created a ball of blue fire between the palms of her hands.

"Fine, then you can have your money," she juggled the ball of fire, "but your life and freedom belong to me."

"What?!"

"You penetrated our infrastructure," Azula stated, "I can't turn a blind eye to that."

"You made turn against my friends!" Jet exclaimed, "Hand over their kids on a silver platter!"

"And you get to keep your life," she smirked, "For the moment, anyway. Can't guarantee it for the future, though."

Jet turned away, sickened with this pathetic excuse of a human being. Azula, however, put a seductive smirk on and strolled up to Jet.

"You know," she strolled around him and gently traced her finger over his face and upper body, "You could have all that and more. Power, riches, immortality. We could rule the world side by side as lovers. We could be the most powerful couple in the world."

Jet looked at her indifferently, "No thanks. I've already repaid my debt to Koh."

She raised her eyebrow, "What debt?"

"Long Feng should've killed me thirteen years ago," Jet replied, "I begged and prayed to Koh to give me a second chance. He did, but only if served you for that one deed. And I did. My debt is repaid. Keep your gold."

Azula glared madly as her eyes pupils dilated, "It's not repaid until I say it is."

"Take it up with Koh," he turned away, "I'll show myself out."

"As you wish," she spat as he turned to leave the room, "Just know, that the next time we cross paths, you will die and this time you won't come back. I guarantee it."

"I look forward to it," Jet said as he left the room.

Azula sighed and walked back to her bottle of brandy. She snatched it off the night stand and took a swig. She heard another knock at the door.

"What?!" she yelled.

The door opened and Long Feng walked in along with Lao Bei Fong and some other Separatists.

"Ah, Azula," Long Feng noted the bottle in her hand, "popping the cork so soon?"

"What do you want?" Azula glared, "You have your orders."

"Yes, but I'm wondering what strategic importance could come of us being here," he replied, "This is the epitome of enemy territory."

"And once the Earth King finds out-" Bei Fong started but was cut off by Azula.

"You are so meek and timid, Bei Fong," Azula held up her hand, "We have control of the palace, which means we have control of Ba Sing Se. With Ba Sing Se and Omashu under Separatist control, we can have total control of the rest of the Earth Kingdom by the end of the year."

"And what does Governor Zhou think of all this?" Long Feng asked.

She smirked, "He's not saying much anymore."

"So you killed him?" Long Feng smirked.

"Yes," Azula replied.

"And now you're in control of the Fire Nation Separatists?"

"There's little opposition in my way," she smirked.

"I don't like this," Bei Fong nervously tugged at his collar, "You conquered Ba Sing Se once in the name of the Fire Nation. Who's to say you're not doing the same again?"

"I am," she reassured, "I'm handing control of the Earth Kingdom over to Long Feng. No tricks."

"Still, the Earth Kingdom will strike back!" he argued, "The Avatar will strike back!"

"I assure you the Avatar's no longer an equation," she held up her hand.

Bei Fong shook his head, "I don't like it. I'm out. I'm pulling my finances and I'm gone."

Long Fend looked at him incredulously, "You can't be serious! We need those funds to support our military. Without it, we're finished."

"That's not my problem," he said defiantly, "I will get my gold back, and I am out of this."

"You want out?" Azula raised her eyebrow.

Bei Fong nodded, "Yes, I'm sure of it. Nothing you can say will change my mind."

"Well if you want out," she said, then jumped forward and shot a bolt of lighting through his heart. Bei Fong gasped and fell dead within a second, "then you're out."

Long Feng looked down at the heap that was once Lao Bei Fong and smirked, "Well done, Azula."

"I take it I don't have to worry about you?" Azula raised an eyebrow.

Long Feng shook his head, "Of course not. I know a good thing when I see it, and your help has been truly instrumental to our cause."

"Very good," she nodded, satisfied, "now, have your guards on patrol in the palace. Be ready for anything."

"Yes, Azula," he bowed, "The Earth King is preoccupied in the Northern Territories, so we shouldn't expect much from him."

"He's not the trouble I'm expecting," Azula muttered, "That will be all, Governor."

Long Feng turned and walked out, leaving Azula alone in her room.

**The Chamber. **

Rozin was thrown against the wall so hard it nearly knocked the wind out of him.

"Is that the best you freaks can do?" Rozin glared as a Face Stealer bound his hands on a rail above his head.

"Oh, we can do better," the Face Stealer smirked after finishing his knot.

He kneed him in the gut causing Rozin to gasp for breath.

"Rozin," Shaola said, "maybe ticking off our captors isn't a good idea."

"Sure it is," Jian said and turned to a Face Stealer, "Hey, Pasty! Do you have any idea who you're dealing with? I mean not only will our parents come to kick your ass, but we are some of the best young warriors and benders in the world. It's in our genes. What's in yours?"

"Be quiet," the Priest ordered, "It's time for you to begin your new lives as Face Stealers."

"Um, I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation," Jian said obnoxiously, "We're related to the Avatar. Do you like living, because if you do, then you should let us go."

"Be quiet!" the Priest warned as he got into meditative position.

"Yeah, what are you doing?" Kya asked.

"Just striking up a conversation," Jian replied, "I mean, we've kicked so many of these guys asses before, but I've never talked with them."

The Priest groaned finding it extremely difficult to concentrate.

"Why are you meditating like that?" Jian asked him, "What, you think you're like the Avatar or something? Hey, Pasty, I'm talking to you!"

"Would someone gas her to shut her up?" the Priest asked.

"You want gas?" Jian asked, "You should talk to Dao. He has unique gas all of his own."

"Gas?" Dao asked.

"Yeah, make some," Jian suggested.

"I can't,' Dao said.

"I'm sure if you try hard enough, you can," Jian assured.

"Oh, for the love of Koh!" the Priest broke his concentration and walked up to her, "Shut your trap before I rip out your vocal chords!"

He grabbed her throat and held a blade to it. Jian uttered no response, much to the gratitude of the Priest.

He smirked, "Yeah, thought so."

Jian smirked back, "Big mistake, pal."

She swiftly kicked him right in the groin, pushing him back several feet hollering in pain. She quickly pulled herself free of the knot she'd been untying and rushed at him with amazing ferocity. She kicked and punched the Priest into a bloody pulp and left him lying there unconscious. When she finished she turned to the others. Everyone looked at her in awe and shock.

"What?" she shrugged.

"You just beat that guy to a bloody pulp!" Lao raised his eyebrows, impressed.

"He should've tied a better knot," she smirked and walked over to the others.

She picked up the Priest's knife and cut everyone's binding's free. The last one she cut was Kya, after which she turned to everyone.

"Ok," she instructed, "We need to fight back and take the palace back from these jerks."

"That's nice," Rozin said, "but there's only four benders among us. Not counting Ahmo, because he can't fight. The rest of you guys are pretty much useless without your weapons."

"You're kidding, right?" Jian raised her eyebrow, "Did you just miss me take out one of those guys in two seconds flat?"

"Anyway, taking back the palace isn't a good idea," Rozin said, "What we need is to escape with our lives. Go get help."

Lao turned to Rozin, "There's only a few dozen of them. And with you guys here we should have no problem stopping them."

"There's more," Rozin said, "I overheard them saying that Long Feng and a bunch of Separatists are here. Face it, unless you want to commit suicide there is no way we can take this back by ourselves."

"So the only option is to run for the hills?" Lao asked, "I'm sorry, but I don't surrender."

"You'll be surrendering your life if you stay and fight," Rozin stated, "Killing yourself isn't going to help any."

"I'm with Rozin on this one," Kya said.

"Big surprise," Lao snorted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kya shot back.

"Cut it out!" Zek threw his hands up in defeat, "We're not getting anywhere with pointless arguments. I'm going with Rozin, too."

"Me too," Ahmo added.

"So am I," Shaola said.

"Now that I think of it," Jian shrugged, "Rozin may be right."

"I don't care for this democratic thing," Rozin said, "If you want to live, come with me. Otherwise, stay here and wait for death."

Rozin turned to exit, followed by most of the others. Lao stood in a huff with his arms crossed against his chest. He only looked up when he saw his sister join the rest of them.

"Lin?!" Lao gasped.

She stopped and turned to him, motioning for him to follow. He sighed, but pushed away from the wall and joined up with his twin sister. They both ran forward and joined up with the others.

**Outside the Palace. **

Iroh walked up to the main gates of the palace. A terrible dream involving his family had woken him up earlier, and with him being very superstitious, he decided to take a walk to the Earth King's palace to check in on his grand-nephews and their friends. The guard at the gate glared at him suspiciously as he approached.

"What are you doing here, old man?" the guard spat.

"Old man?" Iroh took offence to that, "You must be new to this city, because nearly everyone here knows of who I am."

"What do you want?" the guard demanded.

"I heard a ruckus," Iroh replied, "I came to check on my grand-nephews. They're staying here, you know."

"Palace is closed until morning," the guard stated.

Iroh looked to the east. The sky was a deep purple with an ever growing gold light of the rising sun. He inhaled deeply. Something definitely wasn't sitting right with him. He turned back to the guard.

"Morning is fast approaching," Iroh smiled, "I just wish to check up on them. I could be out before anyone is awake."

"Get lost, old man," the guard spat.

Iroh frowned. Something definitely wasn't right about this. Usually, the guards would let him into the palace no questions asked on the count of his war record. If he couldn't get in, the guards would at least be civil about it. They were, after all, the Earth King's finest.

He stared closer at the guard's face. There was something about this guard. Something devious. He narrowed his eyes.

"What?" the guard raised an eyebrow.

Iroh looked closer. Then, just there above his right eyebrow, he saw it. A pale, white smudge of paint, barely noticeable in the dim light. Iroh closed his eyes and took a deep breath as, behind him, the sun shone it's first light on the city. He held his breath and opened his eyes. The Dragon of the West exhaled, releasing a powerful blast of his breath of fire on the guard.

The guard screamed as he was caught off guard by one of the most powerful firebending attacks just ensued on him. He stumbled back as he caught on fire. Iroh released his breath and fired a single, powerful fireball straight at the chest of the guard. The blast was powerful enough to send him crashing back through the locked gates.

Iroh ran forward with more speed than would normally be assumed of a man his age. He ran through the lavish courtyard, firing accurately at any Face Stealers or Separatists that was stupid and foolish enough to cross the Dragon's path.

He ran quickly up the humongous staircase that lead up to the palace. As he reached the top, three Dai Li jumped from the ceiling and blocked him from continuing forward.

Iroh smirked, "Now, gentlemen, we've been through this once before, in this very place. You know how this will end."

The first of the Dai Li jumped forward and shot his rock gloves straight at Iroh. He simple created a fire shield in between him and the rocks which vaporized them upon contact. He struck his fist forward and sent the wall of fire at the Dai Li agents. However, they were faster than your average Face Stealer, and they dodged the attack. They fired back some more rock shrapnel at Iroh, but he blocked it. Iroh fired several fireballs at them, but they were too fast. He had to try a different tactic. He took a deep breath and shut his eyes to charge his inner fire. The Dai Li decided to go on the offensive and they leapt down to attack the former Fire Nation general. Iroh opened his eyes; he had them right where he wanted them. He exhaled and spun his body around in a full circle. Steams of fire poured from his palms and mouth, and formed a sphere of fire formed around him which expanded and burned everything in contact, including the Dai L who were blown away by the sheer force of it.

Once the path was clear, Iroh resumed his infiltration into the palace. He got to the door and threw his fist forward to blow a hole through the door with a fiery stream without a pause. He ran through the smoldering door space, driven to find his grand-nephews. No one would dare try to stop the Dragon of the West.

**A/N: And here it begins: the finale for this. And instead of one chapter, I decided to break it up in half. Two more chapters, and a charcter death lie ahead. Enjoy. Oh, and on a side note, there is a poll on my profile which I would love for you to answer. Peace through terracotta pie!**


	16. The Defiant part 2

**Chapter 16**

**The Defiant part 2**

**Azula. The Palace. **

Azula stood by the window as she looked down at the trail of devastation left by her uncle. She frowned in dismay as the door to her room swung open. She turned and shot a glare back at whoever dared to barge in on her. A Face Stealer ran up to her and bowed.

"Your Greatness," he trembled, "the Dragon of the West has penetrated our defenses!"

She back-handed him across the face, "You think I haven't noticed!"

"There's one more thing," he said nervously as he picked himself up, "The kids, they've escaped."

Her face grew wild with rage. She reared her head back and screamed, bellowing out blue flames to demonstrate the sheer hatred she had of the situation.

She brought her head back down and recovered, "Find them and destroy them!"

The Face Stealer bowed and quickly exited.

**The Palace. **

"Watch your back, Lao!" Rozin shouted as he blocked off a firebending attack, "Two Face Stealers on your left."

"Got it," Lao said back and earthbended a few boulders at them.

"Ok, guys, remember," Jian shouted, "Rozin, Kya, Lao, and Lin; stay on the outside corners. You're our fist line of defense. Zek, Shaola; stay with me in the middle and keep the Dao and Ahmo protected at all costs."

"Can't do much without my darts," Zek said as a dart soared towards him. He instinctively reached out and caught the dart between his two fingers. He looked at it and smirked then threw it back to its owner, sticking him in the neck.

The group did as Jian instructed and formed a tight barrier. Rozin, Kya, Lao, and Lin stood on the outside corners as they protected them from bending attacks. All this while Jian, Zek, and Shaola defended the interior of their circular defense with their weapons. Dao and Ahmo huddled together in the circle and tried to keep up with their elders.

They were impenetrable as they slowly but surely moved their way down the halls. No one could lay a hit on them for they moved as one, powerful force; evading and blocking everything the enemy threw at them.

"Kya!" Lao shouted, "On your left!"

Kya turned to her left and saw a waterbending Face Stealer send a stream of water at them. She reacted quickly and bent the stream around their group before she redirected it back at the Face Stealer. The stream collided with him and he flew back into the wall.

"Nice moves," Lao smirked at her.

"Thanks," she blushed as they gazed a little at each other.

"Save the thanks until we get out of here!" Rozin shouted as he sent a ground stream of fire to a nearby group of Dai Li agents.

One of Face Stealers frowned, "This is getting us nowhere."

He reached in his pocket and pulled out a flint and a small, black grenade. He struck the flint and ignited the fuse, then quickly threw it in the middle of the kids' circle. Rozin saw it land in front of Dao and Ahmo as his eyes widened in horror.

"Move!" he shouted and pushed them away, "Get behind-"

Everyone ducked behind him just as the explosion went off. Rozin managed to deflect most of the blast with his fire shield, but the concussion of the explosion was enough to send them all flying back. Rozin sat up and rubbed his throbbing head as a Face Stealer approached with a scimitar in hand.

"Time to die," he raised his sword, ready to come crashing down on Rozin.

Rozin turned his head away and closed his eyes as he waited for the oncoming doom.

Just then, Jet jumped into the scene and threw his hooked sword at the Face Stealer. The sword pierced his back with the pointed hilt and the Face Stealer gasped, then fell down dead.

Rozin opened his eyes as the Face Stealer fell and glared.

"You?!" he stood up angrily.

"Is that any way to show appreciation for the one who saved your life?" Jet raised an eyebrow.

"You betrayed us!" Rozin yelled as he created a pair of fire daggers in his hands.

"Look I know what I did, but do you want to talk about it, or fight our way out of here," he held a hand out to Rozin to help him up.

Rozin glared at him, but took his hand anyway. Jet pulled him up and took his sword out of his latest victim. The others stood up and readied for their next attack.

"Come on this way," Jet motioned to the left.

"How do we know it's not another trap?" Kya asked.

"Because Iroh is out there clearing us a path," Jet reassured, "Now let's go!"

They looked behind them as dozens of Face Stealers rushed down the elegant staircase. The kids all looked at each other briefly and took off after Jet.

"Where did they all come from?!" Shaola shouted.

"I'm not waiting around to find out!" Jian shouted back as she ran with Dao in her arms.

They rounded a corner as fast as they could and Lin turned around quickly earthbended a wall of thick granite between them and the oncoming horde. Unfortunately the wall didn't hold for most of the Face Stealers were earthbenders. The wall was shattered into a million of pieces as they busted on through it.

"Faster!" Jet called back.

"Kya," Rozin shouted, "Ice!"

She nodded and splashed a puddle of water on the floor behind them, then instantly froze it over. Their earlier luck, however, did not hold out for a firebender saw the ice and evaporated it before it had a chance to do its trick.

"How much further?" Jian shouted to Jet.

"Should be the next corner," he shouted back.

They rounded the corner at a T intersection and immediately skidded to a halt. Long Feng stood there with two dozen of his own men. Jet's eyes widened as he saw the man who was responsible for his current predicament.

"Well, well, Jet," Long Feng smirked, "It's been a while."

They turned around to go the opposite direction, but were headed off by none other than Azula herself. The Face Stealers ran up and blocked off their only other exit. Everyone looked around helplessly. Their exits were cut off. They were trapped. There was no escape.

"It's over, children," Azula smirked, "You could've gone quietly and lived, but you didn't. No, instead you decided to strike back. And that will cost you your lives."

"We are not going down with out a fight," Rozin shook his fist at her threateningly.

She bended some blue fire in her hand, "Yes, you are."

Before Azula could unleash her fury, an explosion blew a hole through the ceiling above them which surprised everyone. Through the smoky hole, Iroh jumped down and landed between Azula and the kids. They glared fiercely at each other; Iroh with fierce determination to protect his family, and Azula pretty much wanting the opposite.

"Well, if it isn't my uncle, Iroh," she glared daggers at him, "Aren't you a little old to be fighting people half as young and twice as powerful as you?"

Iroh stood in fighting stance, "You may be my niece, but you have crossed the line now. If you do not let them go, I will truly demonstrate the full power of the Dragon of the West!"

Azula reared into her firebending stance, "I'll take my chances."

Iroh glanced back at Rozin for a brief second and nodded before he turned back to Azula. Rozin nodded back. He knew what it meant. Azula was their biggest enemy and none of them could take her alone, let alone with all of her minions. Iroh would hold her off long enough for them to escape. It was the only way.

He looked around at the enemies that surrounded him. Other than Azula, the only other one who looked like he would be a challenge was Long Feng, and he didn't seem like much. But he was a threat.

He glanced back at Iroh who winked at him. It was now or never. Rozin jumped backwards and did a back flip before he fired off a large fireball at Long Feng who was caught off guard and thrown back into the wall. Rozin landed and looked at the others.

"Come on!" he yelled and the others ran forward to the Dai Li agents and the other Separatists.

They used their bending and weapons to push through and trample over any who got in their way. Their enemies were charred with fire, drenched with water, pulverized by earth, and stabbed, punctured, and cut as the kids pushed through the horde.

"Kill them!" Azula pointed and yelled to her minions

The Face Stealers took off hungrily at the kids and Jet who had already beaten past Long Feng and his men.

"Go!" Iroh called out to the kids, "I'll hold them off!"

Iroh jabbed and kicked at every Face Stealer that rushed past him, spraying fire wildly each time he extended his limbs. Some of the Face Stealers stopped and turned to Iroh, ready to kill the old general. Azula held up her hand.

"No!" she ordered, "He's mine. Kill the kids. Bring me their heads."

The Face Stealers bowed and ran off after the kids, who were now long gone.

"You seem mighty sure of yourself, Azula," Iroh stated.

Azula rounded closer to him as Iroh instinctively moved in the opposite direction, causing them to start circling one another.

"Oh I am," she glared, "I've waited for this day for a long time, and you won't get in my way to stop my victory."

"I will always be in your way so long as you threaten my family," Iroh glared back, "I would give everything to ensure their safety, just like I did Zuko and I would've even done for you if you would've let me."

Azula continued to walk as she glared at her uncle with a predatory look in her eyes.

"I never needed your help," Azula growled, "You think your help would've gotten me to this?! Ha! I needed no help from any mortal. This was preordained, Uncle, from eons ago. I was destined to rule a new world order. A world where I would be immortal, and where the people will bow to me, and worship me as their goddess."

"Be careful what you wish for," Iroh said, "Being immortal may not be what you truly want."

"Trust me, Uncle," she stopped and rose her arms up, ready to strike, "it is."

She thrust forward her fist and sent a blue stream of fire at Iroh. He blocked most of it and let the rest pass harmlessly by him. He threw forward his own fist and sent a blast back at her. She ducked out of the way and rushed forward to shoot several fireballs at him. Iroh stood his ground and deflected the ones aimed at him and didn't even bother with the others. He aimed low and shot a low flying sheet of fire just inches off the ground. Azula jumped up and flipped in the air. As she came down, she extended her leg out and crashed it down hard on the floor which sent a wall of blue fire at Iroh who managed to still stand his ground and deflect her every move.

Azula caught her breath and stared maniacally at Iroh.

"I thought my brother would've taught you better," Iroh said, "You shouldn't exert so much energy on the first few minutes of battle."

She laughed hysterically, "You have yet to see me release anything!"

She lunged forward and opened up a swirling vortex of blue, super hot fire at Iroh. He couldn't stand his ground with this one, so he ducked out of the way of the vortex as it incinerated everything it came in contact with. He countered with a few blasts of his own. The nimble Azula jumped and ducked away from everything Iroh threw at her. She sent a powerful stream of fire at him, but he closed his hands in front of him which redirected and deflected the attack, and left him without so much as a singed thread on his shirt. Azula screamed and fired off random, wild shots at Iroh's general direction. He was able to avoid them, but was unable to gain any ground on her. She summoned a huge wall of fire and pushed it towards Iroh. He saw this and barely managed to protect himself from the attack. Distracted by the wall of fire, Azula took this chance to dash forward and drop kick him, shooting a blast of fire from her feet before hitting the floor. Iroh was definitely caught off by this and was knocked backwards several feet. He coughed and choked due to the smoke that now filled the halls.

"Have you lost touch with your firebending origins so soon, Uncle?" Azula grinned evilly.

She walked closer and was ready to give the final blow, but Iroh sat up quickly and breathed out a breath of fire at her. While caught off guard by the attack, she managed to successfully deflect it and return an attack of her own. She open palm blasted some fire at him, hitting him square in the chest. He screamed in pain as the searing flame scorched his skin.

**The Kids and Jet. **

They ran as quickly as they could through the corridors as the horde of Face Stealers chased them from behind. They rounded several corners through the twists and turns the halls lead them through. The benders of the group fired off whatever they could to stall them, but it wasn't enough.

"Where are we going?" Shaola shouted at Jet.

"I don't know," Jet answered back, "We got cut off at the only exit I knew of."

"Great!" Jian rolled her eyes and fended off a Face Stealer that sprung at her from a corner, before she turned back and rejoined the rest of the group.

"This is getting us nowhere," Lao grumbled and passed up Jet, "Follow me, I do live here after all."

Everyone silently agreed as Lao took the lead. He lead them to a hall on the left, but it was a dead end.

"Nice going," Zek rolled his eyes.

Lao glared at the young prince, "This _is _an Earth Kingdom palace after all."

He planted his feet into the ground and pounded his fists into the wall in front of them. The wall split across the middle and opened wide into a subterranean tunnel.

"This is our only hope," he said, "the Chrystal Catacombs."

He started off into the tunnel, but was stopped by a group of Face Stealers who stood in their way. They turned to go back around, but were blocked by the original horde that chased them.

"These guys just don't give up, do they?" Jian rolled her eyes and took a deep breath, ready to fight.

The Face Stealers surrounded and closed in on them. They looked around frantically for an escape, but they were surely trapped. Rozin looked at Jet, then down at Kya. This can't be it. It can't end like this.

Just as they were about to give up, something crashed through the outside of the palace and into the halls. Everyone looked at to what was it that did that and their questions were answered when a silhouette of a man carrying a long staff stood up behind the dust. A gust of wind blew the dust away and the man walked into sight; it was the Avatar. He glared at the Face Stealers on both sides and launched an air blast at them which pushed them a few hundred feet back.

"Dad?" Kya asked surprisingly and ran up to give him a hug, along with Ahmo.

Aang graciously returned the gesture and nearly crushed his kids with the strength that he held them with. Spirits, he was glad to see them ok.

"Anyone hurt?" he asked as he looked between both his kids.

They shook their heads. He was definitely surprised that they were able to hold their own against Azula and her forces, without so much as a scratch. He let them go and stared straight into their eyes.

"You kids need to get out of here," Aang turned to them with an expression that meant business. He pointed to the tunnel, "Get out through the tunnel. Once you're out, barricade yourselves in Iroh's shop. Stay there until we come for you, ok? "

They nodded and understood. They ran through the tunnel as Aang instructed, but Jet stayed behind. Aang looked at him curiously.

"What are you doing here?" Aang asked.

"Long story," Jet answered, "I'll explain later, but now I want to help you stop these guys."

Aang nodded. Truth be told he could really use as much help as he could. With as powerful as he had recently become, he didn't want to totally unleash that fury and risk killing innocent people that may still be trapped in there. All around them, the Face Stealers began to stir back awake and surround them.

"I hope you haven't lost your touch, Jet," Aang said as he raised his staff, ready for combat.

"Don't worry about me," Jet faced the opposite way with his swords up and at the ready.

The Face Stealers snarled and rushed them, but they were ready. Aang used his staff to blow away the first wave and rushed at the second. They were over whelming, but he was used to it. A Face Stealer shot a ball of fire at him, but he dodged past it easily. He's had fire shot at him for a while now in his life, and this was no different. He raised and swung down his staff which blew that Face Stealer into the nearby wall. Six more tried to sneak up behind him, but he effectively dispatched them with a few well placed pillars. He looked behind him as the last group to rush at them. He got ready to blow them away, but Jet jumped in the way and engaged them.

He wildly, but expertly swung his hook swords at the Face Stealers. He managed to hook one of them around the neck and throw him over his shoulder and into a group of others. Jet turned to the next one and swung up with both swords, and stabbed him with both in the abdomen. The Face Stealer grunted as Jet stuck the swords further in. Jet stopped and scowled at the white faced man. He yelled and pulled the swords apart in opposite directions, and ripped the Face Stealer's abdomen open. He turned to face the others, and when he did he came face to face with Long Feng himself.

"Long Feng!" he exclaimed.

"Well, this is familiar," Long Feng noted as he looked between him and Aang, "It seems my work from before was unfinished, and fate was kind enough to me to offer me a second chance. What do you say to that?"

Aang rolled his eyes and hit him with a close range burst of air. Long Feng was caught off guard and was blown back into the wall. He grunted as he hit his head against the rock hard wall and blacked out.

"He always did talk too much," Aang shrugged and looked at Jet.

They heard a Face Stealer shriek from down the hall and turned to see. Another three dozen Face Stealers charged after them like a bunch of ravenous wolves. Jet turned to Aang, who stood ready to fight.

"Aang," Jet said, "You got to find Azula."

"I would love to, but I can't leave you here like this," Aang regretted.

"You have to," Jet stated, "This won't stop until she's defeated. Go!"

Aang glanced at the Jet, then at the oncoming Face Stealers. He sighed, but he knew what he had to do. Now that his kids were safe, he had his Avatar duties to tend to. And, right now, those duties were to prevent this war from escalating any further. And the only way to do that was to stop Azula. He looked at Jet and nodded.

"Be safe," Aang said.

Jet smirked, "Don't worry about me. Worry about them."

Aang smiled and ran off down the corridors to look for Azula and end this conflict for good.

Jet turned back and faced the psychotic minions that charged after him.

"Bring it," he smirked as they came closer.

**The Airship. **

Zuko looked down at the palace from on board the airship as Aang crashed through the wall.

"Was that Aang?!" Sokka raised his eyebrows, rather impressed.

"Had to have been," Zuko nodded. He turned and faced the rest of the group in there, "Ok, I want this to be small, but powerful. Tom, I want you and the rest of the troops to form a perimeter around and take back the palace grounds. Either kill the Separatists or capture them."

"Yes, sir," Tom nodded.

Zuko nodded and turned to Mai and Ty Lee, "Mai, Ty Lee. I want you guys to get to the Earth Kingdom Defense Building and alert General Howe of what's going on. We'll need reinforcements. From the looks of it, down there, no one knows they've been hit."

Mai and Ty Lee nodded and understood.

"What about us?" Toph asked, referring to her, Sokka, Katara, and Suki.

"Us?" Zuko repeated with a small smirk, "We're going to storm the palace and get our kids back."

"And help Aang," Katara added.

"After seeing what he did at the Boiling Rock," Sokka stated, "I don't think he needs too much help."

"But he could still be in danger," Katara said, "We don't want the same thing to happen to Aang the last time he fought Azula here. I don't have any spirit water, so we won't be so lucky this time."

Zuko nodded, "She's right. We have to run interference for him while he takes out Azula and her Face Stealers."

They nodded and Zuko turned to Tom, "Can we find a clear landing space?"

The ship then shook as if something hit it. They looked at the palace grounds and saw the earthbending Face Stealers launching boulders up at them and the firebending shooting large balls of fire.

"Crap," Tom muttered, "If we get hit by one of those things, we're toast!"

Tom pulled down the speaker to the intercom, "Exterior firebenders, return fire!"

Outside on the platforms, the firebenders reared back and returned their fire to the Face Stealers on the surface. Large balls of fire were hurled down from the airship and rained on the Face Stealers unlucky enough to be in the way.

"That'll hold them off for a bit," Tom stated and grabbed the speaker again, "Firebenders, clear a spot for landing. Everyone else, battle stations!"

A lieutenant from the bomb bay spoke back through the intercom, "Sir, there's too many of them down there. No place to land."

"We'll have to draw off their fire on Appa," Sokka said, "It's the only way for us to get down safely and give you guys some time to get this thing on the ground. How long do you think it will take to land?"

Tom smirked cockily, "I can land this baby three minutes flat."

"Make it two," Zuko said and turned to his friends, "Ok, let's go."

**Zuko, Katara, Sokka, Suki, Toph. **

The bomb bay doors swung open and Appa flew out with a roar as he carried the five heroes with Sokka behind the reigns. Rogue fireballs and boulders from the enemy's side flew all around them, but neither Appa nor the heroes flinched. Sokka looked down at the battle field. The Face Stealers were operating five catapults over at the base of the giant staircase.

He pointed in their direction, "We got to take those things out!"

Zuko nodded and turned to Katara, "You have enough water?"

Katara closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She smelled and tasted the thick humidity of Ba Sing Se's morning air, and opened her eyes and nodded, 'Don't you worry about me."

"Let's do this!" Toph smirked and pounded her fists together.

"Yip, yip!" Sokka rallied the flying bison.

Appa roared and soared down to the catapults. They flew low so they could distract and disorient the earthbenders long enough for Tom to make his two minute landing. As Appa flicked his tail he knocked down several Face Stealers as he passed overhead.

Appa landed a several yards away and the heroes instantly jumped off and were engaged in combat.

"Ok," Zuko shouted as he deflected a fireball, "Everyone take a catapult!"

Toph took the first one. She quickly stomped the ground and summoned up several boulders at one which she kicked at the Face Stealers that charged at her. Each one was a direct hit to the chest, either knocking them out or killing them; she didn't care one way or the other. Five tried to flank her from behind, but she was wise to it. Without looking back, she bent five rock pillars under their feet and sent them sky high. Once clear of any nearby foes, she used her earthbending to shoot herself in the air and crash down on the armed catapult. She used her unique metalbending technique to crush the weapon and render it to scrap metal.

Sokka, although seemingly at a disadvantage against benders, managed to hold his own as he charged at them and dodged various attacks of earth, fire, and water hurled his way. He managed to get in close to the Face Stealers and take each one out with a few swift slices of his sword. He reached the catapult and quickly cranked the jack up which changed the trajectory of the fireball. A Face Stealer tried to sneak up on him, but he instinctively spun around and cut him down to size. He turned back and made one final crank, then cut the rope for the release and sent the fireball in the air. Sokka watched it fly, then quickly ran off. The confused Face Stealers looked at him quizzically then looked up. Before they could react, the ball of fire landed right on top of the catapult and busted into flames. Anyone within ten yards of it was instantly incinerated by the explosion. Sokka dropped to his stomach and protected his head from the shrapnel that flew around him.

Suki charged at the Face Stealers protecting the third catapult. They fired their elements and weapons at her, but she was incredibly fast and nimble. Years of warrior training has made her one of the fastest, deadliest non bender in the world, and these Face Stealers were about to get the fill experience of it. She leapt forward and did a front flip, and planted her feet deep into her first victim's shoulders. The Face Stealer went down without question and she charged at the next one with her fan-blades open and ready to go. She dodged and deflected anything thrown at her as she charged them. She spun around and sliced her fan across the first foe's face and in one fluid motion, she jumped up and kicked the next one square in the face. She glanced to her left and saw a Separatist frantically carrying the next fireball to the catapult. She looked to her left and grabbed a nearby flambeaux, and spiraled it toward the unlit fireball with deadly accuracy. The flambeaux pierced the ball and ignited it and the guy who carried it. He screamed and fell beside the catapult. Suki closed up her fan and spiraled that at the lit fireball, and caused it to explode and destroy the catapult.

Katara rushed forward and expertly used her water whip to smack down any foe that crossed her path. After she took out her first Face Stealer, she retracted the whip and formed it into a more powerful tentacle which she used to wrap around a Separatist's leg. She constricted it and managed to pick up the man and throw him into several of his comrades. Katara quickly turned to tentacle into a wave and pushed the men up against a wall. She stiffened her wrists which caused the water to freeze and become ice, and leave the enemies trapped and defenseless in it. Although out of water, she wasted no time in collecting and gathering all the water from the air around her. She bended a small portion of it at the lit fireball to put it out, and then used the rest to slice the neck of the catapult in two, not completely destroying it, but rendering it useless.

Zuko took the last and furthest one. He used his legs and arms to conjure up his inner fire and deflect every attack that crossed his way. He quickly went on the offensive and open palm fired a large stream of fire at three Face Stealers. They tried to duck out of the way, but it was to no avail for they combusted into flames upon contact. He ignored their screams of pain and agony, and rushed past them towards the catapult. A firebending Face Stealer lit the armed catapult and Zuko reared back to punch a fireball at him. The fireball hit the Face Stealer square in the head and knocked him out of the picture. Zuko stopped and planted his feed squarely on the ground. He breathed deeply and concentrated on nothing but the lit fireball. He outstretched his arms and inhaled. The fireball began to quiver. He exhaled and brought his arms down. As he did so, the fireball exploded and destroyed everything nearby, including the catapult and remaining enemies.

He opened his eyes and looked around. Everyone accomplished their missions and, most importantly, no one was hut. They all rushed up to join him.

"Nice job, Team Avatar," Sokka grinned.

Suki sighed, "Team Avatar only applies when Aang's here."

"Then let's go in and help him," Katara said and they rushed up the stairs to the palace door.

**The Kids. Chrystal Catacombs. **

The kids ran through the eerily green lit caverns of the Chrystal Catacombs as fast as they could to reach Iroh's tea shop. Lao and Lin lead the way as Jian, Kya, Ahmo, Dao, Shaola, and Zek made up the middle. Rozin brought up the rear. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. He felt distraught at the thought of Iroh facing Azula on his own. He was well aware of Iroh's strength as a firebender, but, even still, Azula was truly evil and might be too much of a match for him. He shook his head and slid to a halt. He made his decision.

The others heard him stop and turned around.

"What are you doing?!" Lao asked incredulously, "We have to keep moving. Those guys could be on our tails."

"I'm going back," Rozin said simply.

"Are you suicidal, or something?" Lao raised his eyebrow.

"I have to help out my great-uncle," Rozin stated, "I'm not asking the rest of you guys to come and I want you to get to the tea shop. I have to do this alone."

He turned to go back, but Kya held up her hand.

"Wait!" she called and ran after him, "I'm going with you."

He turned around shook his head, "No. You have to stay here. It's bad enough one I'm leaving, but they need as much help as they can get."

She sighed and looked away, "I guess you're right."

He nodded, "Plus, I could never forgive myself if something happened to you."

She looked up at him with sadness in her eyes. He actually cared for her. After all the fighting and bickering they've had, yet he cares for her. She pulled him into a hug and stood on her toes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Rozin was incredibly caught off guard by this. She kissed him. _She _kissed _him_! He blushed red with slight embarrassment but he looked down and noticed she did the same, and he felt more comfortable. But he was still overwhelmed with the fact that he might not come back. He had to do this, though. Family sticks together.

"Just try to come back in one piece," she smiled weakly.

His confidence and courage shot up and he smiled back at her.

"Count on it."

They parted and he ran off through the Catacombs back up to the palace. She watched him worryingly as he rounded a corner and disappeared.

"Kya!" Jian came up and grabbed her shoulder, "We have to go. He'll be alright."

She snapped out of her daze and looked up at her cousin and nodded.

"Right," she tried to reaffirm herself and turned back with her cousin to join the rest of the group. However, after a couple of steps she froze and turned back to the tunnel he disappeared down.

**Azula and Iroh. The Palace. **

Iroh yelped in pain as he caught the worst side of Azula's flame blast, and was thrown back against the wall. Azula cackled amusingly at her uncle's state.

"You're pathetic, Uncle," she laughed, "The great Dragon of the West bested by the insane former princess of the Fire Nation who's half his age! Truly pathetic."

Iroh grunted and painfully pulled himself up, ready to fight again.

"There's more to fighting than winning and losing," he growled back.

"In my eyes you're either a winner or a loser," she smiled and threw a stream of fire at the old man.

The stream hit him in the chest and threw him back up against the wall. He groaned in pain as she fired a fireball at him. Then another. And then another. He sunk down to the ground and gasped for air. It was over for him. He couldn't fail. He would fight to protect his family until his dying breath. Azula walked a few feet closer and stared down at the crumpled heap of him.

"This is goodbye, Uncle," she smirked and spun her arms around to create sparks at her finger tips.

She charged the lighting for a few seconds before she struck her arm forward and unleashed the electrical fury on him. Suddenly, Rozin jumped between the two right as Azula launched the lightning bolt. He absorbed the bolt with his first two fingers and cringed as he absorbed it. He guided it up his arm, through his stomach and out the other arm. He aimed at the surprised Azula, but the lightning jerked his arm which caused him to release it lower than he intended. The bolt shot through his fingers and struck the ground at Azula's feet. The explosion knocked both of them back in opposite directions. Rozin landed next to Iroh and Azula smashed into the wall behind her.

"Rozin?" Iroh looked over at him, weakly, "What are you doing here?"

"I had to come back for you," Rozin said, "Family sticks together."

Iroh beamed and nodded, "That's very honorable, Rozin. But you have to get out of here. You're no match for her."

Rozin glared, "I can take her."

"I think you should listen to him," Azula emerged from the smoke. She stopped and tilted her head to the side and cracked the bones in her neck, "I see your father taught you the newest family secret."

"He didn't teach me," Rozin glared.

"Really?" she seemed impressed, "Well, I guess you really are related to me. After all, being a prodigy is something of a family trait."

"Good," Rozin smirked, "that means it'd be easier to take you down."

Azula smiled evilly, "You should not have come back. Now, you'll pay the consequences."

She shot a blast of her blue fire at the young prince. Rozin made a fire shield to block it, but was still knocked back. He shot a fireball back at her, then jumped back on his feet. Azula smacked away the fireball like a fly and returned fire. She sent a massive attack of fireballs back at him. He managed to dodge and deflect the barrage of blue fire, but the last one snuck through his defense and hit him square in the chest. He yelped in pain and was knocked to the ground.

Azula laughed, "You're even more pathetic than my brother."

Rozin scowled and kicked a fire blast at her, then jumped back on his feet to rush at her. She narrowly avoided the blast, but was totally caught off guard by the fuming thirteen year old charging after her. She high kicked and blasted her nephew with flames. He dodged it and continued forward to launch one of the most powerful fire blasts that he's ever made. Azula's eyes widened as the blast neared her and she couldn't do anything to protect her self. The blast hit her full force and knocked her back twenty feet.

Rozin smirked, clearly impressed and surprised with himself. He didn't know where that power came from, but he liked it.

Azula was just as shocked, but she didn't revel in it like him. Instead she jumped back up and fired a huge fireball at him, which literally wiped the smirk off his face and knocked him down. Rozin flipped over and landed hard on his head with the wind knocked out of him. He rubbed his forehead as a crimson trickle of blood dripped down.

"Not good enough," she scowled and charged a ball of fire in the palm or her hand, "Goodbye."

She extended her arm out to finish off her nephew, but a water whip wrapped around her hand and pulled her back. Azula flew backwards and hit her head on the wall. Rozin looked up as, to his surprise, Kya ran up with her water at the ready.

"Rozin!" she knelt down and put her hand on his chest, "You ok?"

Rozin looked at her funny, "No, the crazy blue fire felt great."

Kya rolled her eyes and helped him up, "Can you stand?"

Rozin grunted and nodded as she helped him up, "Wait, can you heal?"

She nodded, "Yeah, why? Are you hurt?"

"Not really," he shook his head and motioned at Iroh, "but he is."

She looked at him, "I'll try. Haven't really done it on a real person before."

They walked over to him, and Kya lowered some water on his wounds. She took a deep breath and the water began to glow and start to heal the wounds. Iroh groaned and opened his eyes at them. He smiled that warm, comforting smile of his, but it was weak. He was weak. But as Kya healed him, he slowly began to regain his strength.

"Does that feel better?" Kya asked.

Iroh nodded, "Yes. You're a natural, my dear."

She looked at him, then at Rozin and smiled.

A ball of blue fire exploded into the wall next to them and vaporized the water in her hands. They turned to see an even more unstable and insane Azula hunched over with a snarl on her face. Rozin and Kya stood in fighting stance.

"No matter what happens, we stay here and fight," Rozin turned and whispered to Kya.

"No matter what," she repeated with fierce determination.

Rozin and Kya stared down Azula as she glared back at them. It was a stand off; each party waiting for the other one to strike first. The wait was excruciating. Rozin was ready to strike at the drop of a pin, while Kya was nervous and just wanted to get out of this alive. Azula smiled and cackled evilly.

"Time to die, lovebirds," she smiled.

She quickly conjured some lightning from both her hands and fired it at the two of them. Rozin froze. She fired way too fast for either of them to react. Suddenly Iroh jumped in front of the two kids and absorbed the lighting to redirect it. Iroh reworked his arms and directed the lighting straight at Azula's heart. Only this time Azula was ready for it. She reached her arm out and absorbed the lightning through her fingertips. She guided it through her stomach and out the other arm in less then a second. There was a brilliant flash of blue light and a clap of thunder.

Rozin and Kya ducked instinctively, but they weren't the only ones to hit the floor; a third body fell in between them. They looked over and saw Iroh lying down. Kya looked down and saw the smoldering, charred hole in his chest.

"No," she breathed, horrified.

"What?" Rozin asked, panicked, "What?!"

"Ha, ha, ha," Azula cackled, "I was aiming for you two, but he'll do."

Rozin blinked back a tear as he stared at the motionless body of his great uncle. Azula, she did this. He will avenge him.

Azula began to bend some more lighting. Rozin stood, ready to send it back to her. As she charged the lighting, a burst of gale force wind blew through the halls and pushed her up against the wall.

Kya looked behind her and saw Aang run up between them and the former princess. Azula recovered and smiled as the last airbender entered the room.

"Get out of here," Aang glanced at the kids, "Now!"

Rozin shook his head, "No, I want to kill her! I'm _going _to kill her!"

Rozin ran towards her but Aang blocked him with his staff.

"You've done your part," Aang said, "Let us deal with it. Go, or Iroh's sacrifice would have been for nothing."

Rozin sighed. All he wanted was revenge. He wanted to tear Azula's head off and pour fire down her neck. Kya put a hand on his shoulder.

"He's right," she whispered, "We have to get out of here."

Rozin nodded and they turned to run down the hall and exit the palace.

Azula scoffed and picked herself up off the floor.

"Well, Avatar," she hissed, "How nice of you to join our little charade."

"It ends here, Azula," Aang glared, "It's over. Both the Earth Kingdom's and Fire Nation's armies have beaten the Face Stealers. You're done!"

She cackled and laughed hysterically and actually scared Aang. He hasn't seen her since before the end of the war. And even then, she wasn't exactly the sanest individual around. But this was even worse. She was insanely deadly and wanting revenge.

"I am far from done!" she laughed, "Plans are in motion. Plans which even you can't stop now. The end is coming and you can't stop it. No one can. I'm winning!"

With that Azula shot a blast of fire at him. He jumped up and evaded the attack and shot a blast of air back at her. She dodged and fired several fireballs at him, but he was incredibly fast and avoided each one in midair. He landed back on the ground and earthbended some rock spikes, followed by a stream of fire. She too, however, was quick and avoided it. Aang gritted his teeth. He knew a way to end this quickly, but he didn't want to risk it. No, he didn't take her father's life and he wouldn't take hers. He had to beat her the old fashioned way. She fired a low stream of fire at him and he jumped out of the way to blow a wind tunnel at her. She moved out of the way and he whipped his arms around, each time sending a different air blast at her. As she jumped out of the way, he decided to try something else and he earthbended a fissure in the ground where she landed. She tripped and fell to her face. He blew a vortex of wind at her and pushed her up into the corner of the two walls. She grunted with pain as he held onto the vortex which squeezed the very energy out of her.

Zuko and Katara ran in and saw Aang finishing off Azula. His tattoos flashed as he struggled to keep from going into the Avatar State.

"Aang," Katara shouted, "Let her go!"

Aang glanced over and sighed. He lowered his arms and the wind subsided, and Azula fell to the ground.

"It's ok," Katara glared at Azula, "We have her now. She's done."

Zuko glanced over and saw his fallen uncle. Sadness and concern crossed over his usually hardened face.

"Uncle?!" he shouted and rushed over to him.

He knelt down over his body and turned him over. He cursed and held his head down to cry over his uncle. Iroh was dead. His mentor, his guide through life, was gone. He was the closest he ever had to a father, and he was taken before his time. He scanned over the body, with tears running down his eyes, and spied the charred hole in his chest from Azula's lightning. Zuko scrunched his face into the most hideous, twisted, disgusted scowl of his life. He rose and turned to his sister who laughed as she pulled herself up.

Zuko stared after her to avenge his uncle, but was held back by Aang and Katara.

"Let me go!" he demanded, "She's dead!"

"No," Aang shouted and pushed him back, "I won't allow her to be killed in cold blood."

"She's too dangerous to be left alive!" Zuko shouted, "You know that."

Aang looked away. He did know that, but he couldn't kill her, not like this.

"I know, Zuko," Aang looked back, "but to kill her now would make her a martyr. I would rather have her live as a shameful prisoner than a dead hero to her comrades."

Azula scoffed and pulled herself up, and everyone got ready for the next attack.

"You killed him!" Zuko shouted furiously.

"Of course I did," she smirked, "I'm not going to lie about that."

Zuko went to rush and kill her, but Aang held him back. Zuko looked at him and sighed. He was right. Killing Azula now would make her a hero. It wasn't worth it, not yet anyway.

"You're finished, Azula," Aang stated, "You're done and so is your wave of terror."

"You would think so," she smiled, "but me and my master have big plans for this world. Big ones. You guys can't stop us. It's going to happen, and when it does you will be out of the way, and I will be the immortal ruler of the world!"

"What a vivid imagination," Zuko said.

She glanced at her brother, "You'll see."

"No, we won't," Zuko raised his fist, "Surrender, or we will take you down."

"No," she smirked.

She quickly formed a fire shield and exploded the area around her. Smoke and dust filled the air as everyone covered their faces. Aang cleared the air with his airbending and when the smoke cleared, she was gone. Vanished. Aang sighed. His one chance at ending this war before it started vanished with her. War was here, again. He didn't know if the world could handle it. Azula was gone, as were several of the Separatist leaders. He may have failed at stopping the war before it started, but he will not stop there. He will find Azula and the Separatists and he will prevent the world from tearing itself apart again. He was the Avatar. This was his duty. And he will not fail.

**A/N: And here it is; part two of the finale. This is the longest chapter I've written for this story, and probably the most action packed. I really hoped you all liked it. And don't worry, an epilogue will follow soon to conclude the story. And I don't ask this often, but please review (especially you lurkers. I know who you are). And remember the poll on my page. **

**Peace, and long live Avatar!  
**


	17. Nothing Left To Say but Goodbye

**Chapter 17**

**Nothing Left To Say but Goodbye**

**Agnia.**

It was a sad, mournful moment in Fire Nation history. Nearly two weeks had passed by since the attack at Ba Sing Se and the beginning of the war, and not to mention the slaying of one of the most instrumental heroes of Sozin's War, General Iroh. His body arrived by ship that afternoon with a full funeral procession fit for a king. Thousands from across the world came to the Fire Nation's capital to honor the fallen Dragon of the West.

The ramp of the ship was lowered and Zuko was the first to step out. He wore ceremonial white funeral robes and led the procession off the ship. Following behind him was the High Sage and the rest of Zuko's family: Mai, Rozin, and Zek; all wearing white except for the High Sage. Finally, four of Iroh's closest friends, Pakku, Jeong Jeong, Pathik, and Piandao, walked out and carried Iroh's body on top a pallet. He was dressed in his White Lotus robes and decorated with the dozens of medals and ribbons that befitted a war hero. The crowd of everyone, from the lowest peasant to the highest nobleman, dropped to their knees and bowed in respect of the great man as they passed through.

After his body was carried out, several dozen others followed out of the ship. Aang and Katara, and their kids, were the first. Aang wore his elegant, traditional robes of the Air Nomads with a pendant of his people hung around his neck, while Katara and her kids wore the dyed, deep blue, fur coats that were traditionally worn during Water Tribe funerals.

Sokka's and Suki's family were next off the ship. Both adults wore their warrior uniforms, only more decorated, while their kids were adorned in black robes, traditional of Earth Kingdom funerals.

Toph was next, and she lead the various other Earth Kingdom dignitaries, generals, and acquaintances that knew, or knew of Iroh. Among them was the Earth King Haru and Queen Ty Lee, and their family. They were followed by the crew of the ship who dressed in their dress uniforms.

The procession winded through the whole city up to the Royal City in the crater of an ancient volcano. The thousands of spectators from each nation lined the streets and bowed their heads as the great man passed by.

Finally, they reached the ancient Fire Temple where he would be sent on his final journey. Everyone, but his family, the High Sage, his carriers, and the mourners, stood in the now crowded courtyard and watched with tears on the brink of their eyes. His friends lowered him onto the crematory and walked to the courtyard.

Zuko stood next to his wife and behind his sons. He looked over at his uncle's body with mourning and anguish. He had trouble with accepting his death for the past two weeks, and even today had trouble accepting it. This man had been with him for nearly his whole life. Taught him everything he knew, and was essential for turning him back to the good side. Now he was gone. What was he going to do now? Every time he had a problem or a question, he knew he could always turn to his uncle for the answers. Nevermore. He blinked back a tear and sniffed, forgetting he was in public. He quickly hardened his gaze and straitened up.

The High Sage walked up to the ledge that over looked the crowd, ready to give his eulogy.

"General Iroh," his voice boomed, "Born in the sixty second year of the age of Avatar Aang, and passed in the one hundred and twenty sixth. Son of Fire Lord Azulon, now passed, and Fire Lady Illah, now passed. Brother of Fire Lord Ozai, now passed. Husband of Nefiri, now passed. Father to Lu Ten, now passed. Uncle to Fire Lord Zuko, and Azula. And great-uncle to Prince Rozin and Prince Zek. You will be forever known as one of the finest military leaders of our nation's history. You lead the Fire Nation to victory at the battles of Qing Ye, Kwon Forge, and the Eastern Serpent's Lake. And even though defeated in battle, the Six Hundred Day Siege of Ba Sing Se was one of the greatest military achievements in the last thousand years, and will forever live on through history. And all that would be shrouded in the past for it was you who lead the great Order of the White Lotus to victory in Ba Sing Se during Sozin's Comet, which was instrumental in regaining the past honor of the Fire Nation. You, General Iroh, Dragon of the West, will be remembered throughout history as a brilliant military tactician, an inspiring hero, and a wonderful human being. Rest in peace, General Iroh."

As he finished, Zuko walked up to the crematory and reached in his pocket. He pulled out one of the most valuable possessions of Iroh's; a lotus tile. He looked hard at it and placed it on his chest, then walked back with his family.

As he walked back, two sages stood at either side of the crematory and firebended the oil and wood beneath it. The pyre lit and everyone dropped to their knees and bowed to give their final respects to Iroh as he left their world for the Spirit World. The flames rose and consumed him, turning him to ash. The smoked rose high over head and seemed to melt away with his body into the setting sun. A fitting farewell to the Dragon of the West.

**The Courtyard. **

The kids sat around the turtle-duck pond during this late summer evening, each with a cup of tea in their hands. Fire flies hovered over them in the cerulean sky of fading twilight. They were sullen after the funeral as they remembered their short time with Iroh. All the kids were there except for Rozin, who locked himself in his room soon after the funeral. He blamed himself for Iroh's death, even after everyone assured him that it wasn't.

"What's going to happen now?" Kya asked no one in particular.

Jian shook her head, "I don't know. All I know is that my parents agreed to send me to the Northern Air Temple to train with the glider pilots."

"Really?" Shaola asked, surprised, "How?"

"Told them I wanted to fight in the war," Jian shrugged, "And they said I could train as a pilot. I leave tomorrow."

"Too bad the minimum age for the army is thirteen," Zek stated, "Otherwise I would be fighting, too."

"That's why I'm joining," Rozin said as he walked up.

Everyone turned and stared at him. He was dressed in full Fire Nation armor, ready to go off to battle.

"You are?!" Kya stood up, admiring him in his armor.

Rozin nodded, "My father told me that any of us over the age of thirteen was allowed to join and fight, so I took him up on his offer. I'm supposed to leave on Uncle Tom's airship tonight."

"What about the rest of us?" Lao asked.

Rozin sighed, "They, our parents, agreed to split us up. They feel that way, if Azula attacks again, that she won't be able to get us all. It's better this way."

"So this is the last time we'll be seeing each other?" Shaola asked rhetorically.

Rozin nodded sorrowfully, "It was great knowing you guys, but I have to go now."

He slung his bag over his shoulder and turned to leave.

Kya shook her head and stood up, "No, you can't be leaving right now. This close after the funeral?"

She ran after him, and he turned around just in time for her to nearly tackle him down with a crushing hug. She sobbed into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her comfortingly.

"I have to do this, Kya," Rozin stated, "I have to avenge my great uncle and serve my country."

She sniffed and looked up at him, "Will I ever see you again?"

Rozin stiffened and glanced away, unsure of the answer. No one knew the answer. They wanted to be hopeful and optimistic, but the past couple weeks had cleared away any childish optimism they once had and replaced it with realism.

Finally, Ahmo stood up, "Yes, we will."

Everyone was surprised at the statement by the usually quiet and reserved eight year old. He walked up to his sister and Rozin and wrapped them both in a hug.

Dao, and his naive yet beautiful mind, ran up joined the three of them.

"I'll miss you," he cried and hugged them.

Jian shrugged and walked over to join the hug, "What the heck, I'll miss you guys, too."

Shaola stood up and looked at Zek, "Come on."

Zek rolled his eyes, showing off his distain for human interaction. Shaola grabbed him by the collar and pulled him over to the ever-growing group hug.

"Hey!" he shouted as she threw him in and sandwiched him the middle, "Whatever, I'll miss you guys."

Lao looked at Lin and they shrugged, then got up to finalize the group hug.

"I guess we're part of your group, too," Lao said joined them, making sure to get close to Kya.

They held the hug for as long as they could.

"We will see each other again," Kya stated, "I promise."

**Aang, Katara, Zuko, Mai, Sokka, Suki, Toph. Zuko's Parlor. **

Zuko sat in his parlor with his friends as they mourned the death of Iroh. Everyone was silent as they each reminisced over their unique, fond memories of him. To honor his passing, each one of them clutched a cup of white jade tea in their hands; his favorite. It was Toph who spoke up first.

"So, what are we going to do now?" she asked.

They looked at each other uncertainly. Nobody knew the answer. All they could think about was Iroh's passing.

Aang sighed, "We must continue on. Azula's still out there along with dozens of other Separatists, including Long Feng. This isn't over yet."

Zuko nodded, "You're right. Iroh sacrificed his life to save our kids. He would've wanted us to finish this."

"The Earth King told me to tell you that they are now in full out war against the Separatists," Toph told Zuko, "He wants to create a joint coalition with you and the other nations."

Zuko nodded, "That would be for the best."

"Pakku told me that the Northern Water Tribe has entered the war as well," Katara added, "Arnook now sees how important it is for everyone to stand together to keep balance and freedom."

"So we're at war," Suki stated unbelievably.

Aang nodded, "Only this time, I will end it before it plunges the world into chaos again. I will not fail."

"Don't worry, bud," Sokka smiled, "You got us, and we'll stand by you until the end."

Sokka raised up his cup to toast, "To Iroh!"

Everyone raised their cups and took a sip.

Aang raised his cup next, "To peace!"

Everyone nodded and raised their cups to take a second and final drink. The war may have begun, but they will end it. They will succeed.

**A/N: There you go, the end of "Avatar: The New Legend." Thanks to all the viewers and reviewers out there. It's been a real fun ride, and was great to share it with you all. Also, yes, there will be a sequel to this one called "Avatar**: **The Rise of Darkness." Currently working on the outline for it right now and it promises to be much darker with more character development for the kids, as they grow up and mature, and the adults as they go through more trials and trivulations. **

**That being said, it won't be out for another month or so. Right after this I'm going to be working on another screenplay as I do the outline for the sequel. Put me on your author alerts if you haven't done so already so you can be the first to read the sequel. **

**Peace.  
**


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